Kingdom Hearts: The Twilight Legacy
by ReceptiveSavior
Summary: Might be discontinued, still unure. Check out the new version
1. Prologue: The Calling Of a Hero

Sonic13: Hey, Greg here (yes, Greg is my name.), bringing you another Kingdom Hearts Fanfic. It's mostly pre-written, so the first few chapters will be up quickly. Anyway, I really don't feel like re-typing this one, but if you give me at least one good, detailed review, I think I'll keep adding on the chapters.

Brandon: What the heck do you mean 'You don't feel like re-typing this'?

Sonic13: Brandon, what are you doing here?

Brandon: Uh, I really don't know, but I have a reason for being here!!

Sonic13: You're supposed to be getting ready for the story. You know, preparing yourself and what not?

Brandon: Hey, I'm ready for anything you can dish at me!!

Sonic13: Anyway, this story doesn't focus on the Keyblade Master's part in legend, you know, with the 'Doors'. It focuses on…

Brandon: Shut the heck up!!! They're not supposed to know about the Keyblade Master's part, or anything else about this story!!! What do you think you're doing!?!?

Sonic13: You're right. Glares over at Brandon But if you ever yell at me again, I'll replace your parts in the story by some homo named Bob…

Brandon: Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Sobs Just get to writing….please?

Sonic13: Yeah, yeah…

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **

**Kingdom Hearts: Shine of the Twilight**

**By: Sonic13**

**Prologue: A Hero's Independence**

The boy stormed out of the door and into the night, carrying only a book bag, filled with clothes, money, and food. The boy didn't hesitate to look back at his mother's face; instead, he made a mad dash, stopping in the middle of the street. He wore a dark blue zipper hoodie, which was only zipped up to halfway, baggy shorts, and red and blue Adidas. Underneath the hoodie, barely visible, was a red colored shirt. He had dark brown eyes, and short black hair.

"Greg, please come back into the house!!" his mother called out to him, sounding a bit worried.

The boy turned and looked into her eyes, then turned away again. "Not this time, mom. I'm leaving, for good this time, and I probably won't see you for awhile."

"But…" she didn't know what to say. She had to make up something to make him stay. "You haven't finished school yet. Why not stay and finish school."

With a smile on his face, Greg turned back to his mother. "Mom, if you're worried, you don't need to be. Where I'm going, there's a school, so I can finish there." The boy looked down at the ground. It had started to rain. "I've thought about this a lot, and I think it's time for me to leave."

"But…" he mother tried to say something. Something that would make her son stay a bit longer, but nothing came out. Only tears, which rushed down her face, spoke up, telling the boy that his mother didn't want him to leave. She smiled, sadness still visible in her brown eyes. "I understand…" she paused for a moment. "Just… be careful, okay?"

Greg grinned, pulling his hood over his head, shrouding his face. He also did that so that the rain wouldn't get his head wet. "Aren't I always?" He then dashed off into the night, leaving his mother at the doorstep.

Minutes later…

The young teen had almost traveled his whole neighborhood, before coming to his destination. It was a house, sitting on a small-sloped hill, along with other houses. Greg dashed up the driveway and up to the door, quietly tapping it three times. A boy, with dirty blonde hair, peaked his head out the door.

Greg frowned at the boy. "What are you doing?" he asked. "We have to get going. My uncle is waiting to take us to the boat."

"Well, I was getting ready to eat something, but since you're ready to go at…" the boy turned his head, looking toward a clock, then looked back at Greg. "One thirty seven, in the morning, then let's go." The boy stepped out the house, wearing black basketball shorts, a white shirt, and black and white skater shoes. On his back, he carried a bag similar to Greg's. The boy's name was Brandon.

"Alright, let's get over to my Uncle's house, he's probably waiting." Greg implied, as he dashed off into the night, again.

"Hey, wait up!!!" Brandon shouted, rushing after his friend. "I still can't believe we're doing this!!" he shouted out into the dark, hoping Greg had heard him.

After about five long minutes of running, Brandon caught a glimpse of Greg, standing beside a small pickup truck. Brandon slowly came to a stop, bending over to start panting.

"You… could have… slow down a bit." Said Brandon, between breathes.

"Sorry about that, guess I'm eager to get going." Greg grinned, rubbing the back of his head.

"Let's get going." Demanded a man, who was standing next to Greg. Most likely, it was Greg's uncle. The man quickly entered the driver's seat and started the truck up. Greg and Brandon were quick to hop into the back. Before they knew it, they were on the road, far from home.

The next morning…

"Hey, Greg!! Wake your lazy butt up, we're here!!" Greg could hear Brandon's voice, being shouted into his ear. His eyelids slowly opened, showing his brown eyes.

"Aww man, are we at the docks already?" he asked, as he leaned up. He let out a yawn, and then looked around. His eyes lit up as the clear, ocean water came into view. He quickly jumped to his feet, and out of the back of the truck.

"Hey, slowdown."

"How about you hurry it up!!" Greg replied, coming to a stop. He had run out to the edge of the docks, and was now looking out at the horizon. "Just think Brandon, our new life is just over the horizon."

"Did you mimic that from some lame show?" Brandon replied, as he came to a stop beside Brandon. "Or were you trying to state the obvious?"

"Hey, you two be careful!!! Come back and visit sometime!!" shouted Greg's uncle, as the truck pulled off. Greg turned and waved him off.

"We will, thanks for the ride!!" Greg shouted in reply.

"This sunrise is… all beautiful and what not, but are we going to find the boat?" Brandon asked. No one replied. "Hey, did you hear me?" He turned to see that Greg was gone. "Ack!! Where did he go?"

"Hey, Brandon!!!" Brandon turned toward the voice, watching Greg getting ready to board a ship. "Are you coming, or what?"

"Wait for me!!!" Brandon shouted, rushing over to his friend.

Before they knew it, they had boarded the ship and were on their way to their new home.

Two days later…

It took the boat two days to reach the two teens' destination, the Destiny Islands. The two of them were so excited, rambling on and on about how they would live out the rest of their lives. Of course, they would return home eventually, to visit their friends and family.

"Ahh, smell that Greg? That fresh air?" Brandon asked, as he took a deep breath.

"Of course! It isn't like I can't breath through my nose." Greg replied, as he looked out toward the island.

The main island was huge, and it held many buildings on it. It was surround by several other islands, two of which had buildings also. The islands were filled with all sorts of life. Fruit trees could be seen all over the island, along with small children, and a few teens here and there. One teen caught Greg and Brandon's eyes quickly. The boy wore a yellow shirt, with no sleeves, and a pair of blue pants, with shoes to big for his feet. But that's not what got their attention first. The first thing that grabbed their attention was the boy's white hair.

"Hey Greg, take a look at that kid right there." Brandon pointed out at the white-haired boy. "Isn't that strange, having white hair?"

"Yeah, that is weird. I haven't seen anyone with white hair, besides old people, but then again, their hair is grayish white. This kid has perfectly white hair, and it's pretty long too." Greg couldn't help but stare at the boy, for looking so… so strange.

"Anyway, we better get off this boat. If you haven't noticed, the boat has already docked." Brandon implied, as he picked up his bag of clothes. Greg did the same.

"Alright, let's go." Greg replied, as he followed Brandon off the ship.

The sand was so warm underneath Brandon's feet, is what Brandon said after departing from the ship. "I'm sure it is. It's obvious that the sun is heating it up, but how do you know? You're wearing shoes, or have you forgotten?" Greg asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"I can feel the heat through my shoe, duh!!" Brandon replied.

"Sure… maybe you should get some new shoes then." Greg implied, walking off.

"Hey, where you going?" Brandon asked, rushing to Greg's side.

"The town, why? I want to see what it's like."

"Oh, in that case, why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought you were feeling the warm sand through your shoes, again, so I didn't bother."

"It couldn't have hurt to ask, you know?"

Greg replied to Brandon with a smile and a nod.

The town of Destiny Island seemed enormous, for an island town. There were ice cream parlors, clothing stores, markets, and other buildings. Greg and Brandon were fast to get lost in the town, and it seemed that they kept passing by the same store. It was then, that they saw a boy, about their age, riding a skateboard toward them. I mean, they've seen other people their age walking in the town, it's just this one seemed to stand out to them.

The boy had spiky brunette hair and wore a red shirt, with red shorts, a black and white hoodie, and big yellow shoes. He also wore white gloves, and a small chain around his neck with a 'crown' charm. His sky blue eyes caught a glimpse of the two before he slowed to a stopped, kicking his skateboard into his hand.

"Hiya!" the boy smiled.

"Uh… hey?" Brandon replied, nervously. He had wondered why the boy had stopped in front of them. They were staring at him like he was a monster, so that could be the reason.

"What's up?" Greg smiled back.

The boy's eyes scanned the two young teens, and then it seemed like he had come to a conclusion. "I'm guessing you two are new here, am I right?" Greg and Brandon nodded slightly, and the boy smiled again.

"_Wow, he sure is the smiley type. I wonder how long he can go without smiling?"_ Brandon thought to himself.

"Well, my name is Sora! It's nice to meet you." The boy gave them another carefree smile.

"_Wow, I guess he can't go for long…"_ Brandon gave the boy a nervous smile in return.

"Nice to meet you too, Sora. My name is Greg." Greg replied, giving the blue-eyed boy a smile too.

"And I'm his best buddy, Brandon!!" Brandon replied, sounding a bit normal and not nervous.

"It's nice to meet you both. So, what brings you to this little island?" Sora couldn't help but ask. It was rare that someone came to visit or move to the island.

"Well, the truth is that we're moving here." Greg smiled.

"You and your parents?"

"Naw, just us…" Brandon replied, in a less energetic tone.

"Guess you guys felt it was your time to get out and go, huh?" Sora had hit it right on the money. The boys did feel that way, like they needed to get out and live a little.

"That's exactly how we felt back at home."

"Anyway, how 'bout I introduce you to all my friends? They'll be thrilled to have someone new around." Sora implied, leaning on his skateboard.

"Sure, why not?" Greg replied, thinking of what his friends could be like.

"Follow me then, I'm sure I know where they're at." Sora smiled, turned, and began walking in the opposite direction with his skateboard in hand. Greg and Brandon followed closely behind him, as he began describing his friends.

"_I wonder if the kid with the white hair is one of his friends?"_ Brandon thought to himself.

The Ice Cream Parlor…

The crimson-headed girl took a small bite out of her Sea Salt Ice Cream. The crimson-headed girl was sitting at a table, with two other girls. One girl had blonde hair, where as the other had brunette. The crimson hair girl wore a white tank, with a purple skirt. Her eyes were blue and she had a black band around her neck, and one black band and one yellow band around her right wrist. On her feet, she wore white shoes. The brunette girl wore a yellow, overall dress and sandals. On her left wrist she wore a bracelet of beads and her eyes were green. The last girl hair short blonde hair, which went halfway down her neck. She wore a blue skirt, a white shirt, and white tennis shoes.

The table was real quiet. No one said a word, probably because each of them had brain-freeze from the ice cream.

"So Kairi," the brunette girl began. She glanced over at over at the crimson-headed girl, taking a brief break from her ice cream. "How are you and Sora doing?" The crimson-headed girl didn't seem to hear her question; she was too busy looking out the window. "Hey, Kairi!! Are you listening to me? Did you hear what I said?" the brunette sounded infuriated. The crimson-headed girl, Kairi, was snapped out of thought by her friend's voice.

"Sorry, what were you saying?" Kairi asked, glancing over to the brunette.

The brunette grumbled something, and then turned away. "Never mind."

"I said I was sorry Selphie…" said Kairi, sounding a bit hurt. The brunette, Selphie, said nothing in reply. Instead, she continued to lick her ice cream, completely ignoring Kairi.

"Allow me then." The blonde implied, finally breaking her streak of silence. "She wanted to know how you and _him_ were doing? It's clear that you had _him_ on your mind at the time of the question." The blonde smiled, licking her ice cream again.

"Oh!!" Kairi could feel her face turning red. "We're… doing fine. Why do you ask?" she turned to Selphie for an answer.

"I don't know. I just felt like asking, and seeing your face like that." Selphie chuckled for a moment. "But seriously, you should stop thinking about him for at least a minute." Her tone was stern.

"I guess so… What do you think, Tami?" Kairi asked, turning to the blonde.

The blonde, named Tami, shrugged as a reply. "It doesn't matter to me. As long as no guy comes along and makes me think about him like you think about Sora, I'll be fine." Tami grinned slightly, glancing over at Selphie. "So Selphie, how are you and Tidus? Or was it you and Wakka?"

Selphie's eyes widened at that remark, and then she glared over at Tami, who was giggling to herself. "HAHAHAHA!!!" Selphie uttered, forcing the laugh. "That's so funny, I forgot to laugh! You know all too well that I don't like either of them." Selphie noticed another smile on Tami's face. "And I don't like Riku either!" she was quick to shout.

"Geez, calm down Selph. I was only kidding around. The same way you were kidding with Kairi." Tami grinned and Kairi couldn't help but giggle at Selphie's facial expression.

"Well, we all know you have a crush on Riku." Selphie grinned evilly. Kairi glanced at Tami, to see if she was blushing, but she wasn't. She just laughed the joke off.

"Yeah, the same way you have one on Tidus. Or was it Wakka, I can't seem to remember." Tami chuckled again, along with Kairi.

"You won this battle, but the war is far from over!" shouted Selphie, raising her ice cream into the air. Tami and Kairi sighed.

"You really watch too much TV."

"So, what's your point?" Selphie asked, taking a bite out of her ice cream. It was then, that she noticed Sora coming toward the ice cream parlor, followed by two other guys. "Here comes your boyfriend, Kairi." Uttered Selphie, turning to her friend. Kairi shifted in her sit and watched as Sora, and two other guys, came walking into the parlor. Sora looked around, and Kairi motioned to where they were.

"What's up girls?" Sora asked, as he came and stood next to the table. He leaned the skateboard against the table and smiled. Greg and Brandon stood by his side. Greg was smiling and Brandon… well, Brandon was trying to get his hands on some ice cream.

"Hey Sora, how's it going?" Tami asked. Her eyes traveled to the boy standing closest to Sora. Her eyes met with Greg's, and she quickly turned away and started playing with her ice cream. "And who're your friends?"

"Oh, right! These are my new buddies; Greg and Brandon." Sora replied, motioning to each other them. Greg smiled once again and gave them a small wave. "Guys, these are the girls of the group; Kairi, Tami, and Selphie." He motioned to each of them as he spoke their name.

"It's nice to meet you all." Greg smiled. Brandon pushed Greg and Sora out of the way, with a big smile.

"How ya doin' ladies?" he smiled slyly. Greg sighed as a react to his action.

"We're, quite fine, thank you." Replied Selphie, sounding annoyed by Brandon's approach.

"Selphie, you don't have to be so rude to everyone you meet." Kairi implied, biting into her ice cream once again, finally able to finish it off.

"Well, he seems annoying, you know?" Selphie asked. Tami gave her a nod.

"What!!" Brandon shouted. He turned and began walking toward the door.

"Aww, you hurt his feelings." Kairi implied to Selphie. Selphie slowly pointed her finger at Tami.

"C'mon Greg, we gotta find the guys, so you can meet them too. Brandon has already got a head start." Sora smiled, grabbed his skateboard, and dashed out the door.

"Well, it was nice meeting you all." Greg waved to the girls as he headed for the door. "And don't worry about Brandon, he'll be back to give it another shot!!" Greg shouted, as he rushed off to follow Sora.

"Oh, that's just great…" Selphie began, finishing off her ice cream.

"Well, that last one seemed nice." Tami implied, as she finished her ice cream as well.

"Yeah, if you say so. How 'bout we go find the others?" Selphie asked, standing up and stretching her arms.

"Yeah, let's go." Kairi agreed, as she stood from her seat and headed toward the door. Tami and Selphie followed.

"So, now you have a crush on the Brandon kid?" Tami whispered to Selphie.

"Oh shut up. I saw how you were looking at the Greg kid." Selphie grinned a little, because this time, Tami was blushing.

"Hush it!" she whispered in retort.

"Yes!! I've won this battle!!" Selphie shouted, drawing people's attention.

Kairi turned her head back a little. "What are you two talking about?"

"Well, Tami," Selphie began. Tami quickly put her hand over Selphie's mouth, stopping Selphie from speaking.

"Oh nothing, just talking about ice cream!" Tami laughed nervously. Kairi shrugged and turned her head to back.

"So, you do like him?" Selphie whispered, with her eyes narrowed. Tami replied to her comment with a death glare, which made Selphie giggle.

South Shoreline…

"Hey Tidus, watcha doin'? Thinking about Selphie again?" asked a boy with orange hair. He smiled at the boy with brown hair, who was looking out at the ocean. The brown-headed boy wore a yellow and white jacket, unzipped, with no shirt underneath. On his legs, he wore blue shorts, one shorts leg shorter than the other. On his feet he wore sandals. The orange-hair boy wore a tan vest with orange pants. On his feet he also wore sandals.

The brown-haired boy glared back at the orange-haired boy. "Will you shut up Wakka? You know I don't like her!" The boy grinned slyly. "And why would I be thinking about your girlfriend?"

Wakka's eyes-widened. "Whatever Tidus. I know you like Selphie, or was it Tami?"

"Why you!" Tidus glared at Wakka again.

"Will you two cut it out?" a voice called out. The boys looked around and then saw a white-haired boy. The boy wore a yellow vest with blue pants, black gloves, and white shoes with a large blue stripe on each.

"Oh, what's up Riku?" asked Tidus, giving the white-haired boy a smile.

"Have you two seen Sora?" Riku asked folding his arms over his chest.

"Nope. Last time I saw him, he was skateboarding his way to the markets, I think." Wakka replied, placing his hand on his chin.

"I guess I'll find him there then." Riku sighed and unfolded his arms, placing his hands in his pockets. He turned to walk away before Tidus opened his mouth.

"Hey, here he comes." Tidus pointed down the shore. Riku and Wakka turned their attention towards where Tidus was pointing.

"Hey guys!!" Sora began to wave as he saw the others glance over at him.

"_It's the kid with the white hair!!"_ Brandon yelled in his mind.

Sora slowed to a stop, and began catching his breath, along with Greg and Brandon. He smiled at the others, who were looking at Greg and Brandon with confusion.

"Sora, who are those two?" Wakka asked, scratching the back of his head.

"Oh, these are my new friends; Greg and Brandon." Sora replied, motioning to each of them.

"Nice to meet you guys." Greg implied, giving them a wave.

"Yeah… what he said…" Brandon added, still trying to catch his breath.

Sora turned to Greg and Brandon. "These are my best buds; Riku, Tidus, and Wakka."

"It's nice to meet you too" Tidus smiled.

"Yep." Wakka added, as Riku gave them a small nod.

"If I'm not correct, that's everyone." Sora smiled, and then glanced at everyone. "Now, what to do?"

"There is nothing to do, so don't even try to think of something." Tidus added in.

"I guess you're right." Sora turned his attention to the ocean. "If only we had some excitement on this island."

"Let's throw a party, for the new guys!" Tidus blurted out. To the others, it wasn't a bad idea. They did just meet some new people, so it would be cool for them to show them some island hospitality. Also, that would provide some excitement for the night.

Wakka thought for a moment, and then nodded. "Yeah, that'll be cool." He turned to Greg and Brandon. "And the party will be for you two."

"That's great!!" Brandon shouted with joy. "And then we can get to know all of you better!!!"

"You guys don't have to do that for us. Really, you don't." Greg added. He was sounding as if they were offering too much.

"Nonsense, it'll be great." Tidus grinned. "And we'll have the party at Selphie's house."

Brandon's happiness faded away in an instant after hearing that name. "If… I'm not correct… that's the evil girl that was at the ice cream parlor."

"Evil?" asked Selphie. She had appeared beside Brandon, along with Tami and Kairi, and she wasn't looking too happy. "Did you just call me 'evil'?" she repeated herself.

"No, no!!! I never said that!!" Brandon began waving his hands around. "I… uh… I said…" Nothing came out of his mouth. He had no excuse that was going to save him this time, and from the way Selphie was glaring at him, he needed one.

Selphie began tapping her foot on the ground. "I'm waiting for the pitiful excuse that you're going to use."

"Give him a break Selphie. He was only speaking the truth." Tidus implied, stepping between the two. "Besides, he's new here, so let it slide."

"So, you think I'm evil too, huh?" she asked, giving him a death glare.

"Okay, okay, that's enough." Kairi began. "You two act like this every time you two meet."

"No we don't!!" the two said in unison.

"Let them argue. We have a party to plan!!" shouted Sora.

"Party?" Kairi asked.

"Yeah, we're going to throw a party for Greg and Brandon at Selphie's house." Sora explained to Kairi.

Selphie turned to Sora, giving him a death glare. "My house!?! Why my house?" She had forgot all about her argue with Tidus, who was still arguing.

"Because, your house is the biggest, and your parents aren't home all week." Wakka replied.

She thought about it for a minute, and then came to a conclusion. "Fine, but afterward, you all have to clean up the mess." Everyone nodded. "Alright, let's get to it!!"

Later that night…

The party for Greg and Brandon turned out to be amazing. Everyone on the island was invited, if they knew Selphie. There wasn't that much food, because Sora and Brandon had an eating contest, but there were games and some music.

The night was still young, and the party was at its peak. The music was pounding and the people were having a blast of fun. Greg, who was getting a headache from the constant yelling and Sora's belching, decided that he had to take a break from the party and walked off.

Selphie's house was the closest, on her island, to the ocean, so Greg didn't have to walk far to get down to the water. He could still hear the music, but it wasn't loud enough to bother his head anymore.

Hiding behind a nearby tree was Tami, who was watching Greg from afar. She sighed to herself. "I can't believe I'm actually doing this." She uttered to herself. "Why is he drawing my attention like this?" she asked herself, as she glanced at the ground.

It was weird. Tami had not a guy who was like this one. She didn't know what it was about this one, but he was different. Even though she didn't want to believe it, she was attracted to him, somehow.

Greg sighed, as the pain as he head began to fade away. He sipped the fruit juice from a cup he had brought outside with him, and then glanced back out at the ocean. "To start over…" he chuckled to himself. "This isn't starting over, this is avoiding the problem." He sipped his drink again. "_He_ could have followed me here, it's that simple."

"Who could have followed you here?" asked a voice. Greg turned around quickly, readying himself for a fight. He calmed his self once he noticed it was Tami.

"Oh, its just you Tami." He smiled. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." Tami replied nervously, looking at the ground.

"It's okay, don't sweat it. What are you doing out here?" he asked.

"I was going to ask you the same thing."

"Well, I was just trying to get away from the loud music. It was giving me a headache."

"Yeah, that's the same reason why I'm out here." She lied. She couldn't tell him that she was spying on him. He would think she was weird or something.

There was a moment of silence, as the two stared out at the ocean. Neither of them bothered to say a word, and Greg was feeling a bit nervous for some reason.

"So, uh... how long have you live here?" Greg asked nervously, as he rubbed the back of his head.

"I moved here one year ago." Tami replied, now looking at the ground. "I don't really remember much before moving here. The only thing I can remember is a girl with long, blonde hair."

There was another moment of silence before Greg spoke up. "It must be hard, not remembering your loved ones and all."

"Yeah…" Tami raised her head and stared over at Greg. "Why'd you and Brandon decide to move here?"

Greg glanced over at the blonde girl, looking into her eyes. "I… uh…" he began nervously. _"I hate the look girls give me!!"_ he thought to himself, trying to get over his nervousness. "It's a long story." He uttered, looking away.

Tami smiled and moved a little closer to him. She could see that he was getting nervous. "Well, we do have the whole night. I'm sure that's enough time." Her eyes met with Greg's again.

"Uh, yeah… We do have the night." He laughed nervously. "Well, if you really want to hear it, then I guess I can tell you." He sat down in the sand and smiled at her nervously. "C'mon, sit down." Motioning to the spot next to him.

As requested, Tami took a seat next to the brown-eyed teen. She smiled again, still noticing that he was nervous. "Anytime you're ready to start."

"Well, it all started…" Greg began, but was interrupted by laughter.

"What was that?" Tami asked. She couldn't help but grab onto Greg's arm. They both stood up, glancing around.

"It's _him_." Greg replied, looking around.

"_Him_ who?" Tami asked.

"The guy that is the reason for me and Brandon coming to this island. We were trying to get away from _him_."

The laughter returned, even more loudly. "Go on, _Keybearer of Twilight_, tell the story to your little girlfriend there. Tell her how I caused you the pain that plagues you 'til this day."

"Shut up!! Leave us alone!!" Greg shouted into the night.

"Now you have even more people to worry about." The voice laughed again. Greg quickly looked over to Tami, who was trying to figure out who was talking. She seemed so scared, clutching Greg's arm as tightly as she could.

"But, I won't disturb you tonight. We'll meet soon enough, _Keybearer of Twilight_." The voice laughed, as it seemed to fade into the night.

"Is he gone?" Tami asked, looking around yet again.

"Yeah, I believe so." Greg replied.

Tami quickly let go of Greg's arm. She could feel face turning red, and the moonlight was shining on her face, so Greg could see it. "So, umm, who was that?" she asked.

"Greg!! We need your help!!!" shouted a familiar voice. Greg and Tami turned toward Selphie's house to see Riku and Brandon yelling toward them.

"What's going on?" Greg shouted in reply.

"Kairi's disappeared!!! We need your help to find her!!" Riku explained.

"Yeah, Sora and the others went ahead already. C'mon, we have to find her!!" Brandon added, running off. Riku followed.

"Alright, we're coming!!" Greg began to rush off, but Tami quickly grabbed his arm. He turned back, only to see her eyes full of worry. "What is it, Tami?" he asked.

"Greg, who was that? And why'd he keep calling you the _Keybearer of Twilight_?" she asked.

Greg eyes stared into Tami's. "I don't know why he keeps calling me that…." His eyes drifted toward the ground. "The only thing I know is that his name is…"

"What is it?"

"_Vecton Rambosa…"_


	2. Arc 1: Chapter 1: Chosen Ones

Greg: Okay, so how'd you guys like the prologue? Awesome, huh? Lol!! Anyway, here's chapter 1 for you all. And I would like to thank **Shiba-X** for his review. So thank you!!

Brandon: Yeah, I read that review too, you know. How come you didn't ask about me Shiba-X? I'm here too!! I mean, I play a very important part too!!

Greg: Will you chill out, Brandon? Yeesh, we all know how important your part is…not… Anyway, here's chapter 1 for you all.

Brandon: Aww, I better have a very important part… -sobs- Someone review about me!!!

Greg: Just ignore him, and he'll go away.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Chapter 1: Chosen Ones

_Flashback… _

_The sunlight beamed down onto Greg's face. He frowned, and then opened his eyes, seeing Brandon staring at him. "What are you doing, Brandon?"_

_Brandon smiled. "Waiting for you to wake up, so we can get outta here."_

"_Where are we?"_

"_School." Brandon began. He sounded a bit worried. "Don't you remember? We were working on a project. We're the last people here, except for the janitor."_

"_Oh, right. Yeah, I remember." Greg leaned his head off of the table and yawned. "Oh man, what time is it?"_

"_About six o'clock, I think."_

"_SIX O'CLOCK!!!" Greg repeated._

"_Uh, yeah. Anyway, let's get going. We have to walk home."_

_  
"Yeah, we better get home quick." Greg stood up, grabbing his belongings, and headed for the door with Brandon._

_There was silence between the two, until they left the school. The sun was already setting and many people were heading home. Only one car was parked in the school parking lot. Most likely, it was the janitor's._

_Though the area seemed deserted, Greg felt as if they were being watched. He looked around, to try and confirm his feeling, but found nothing._

"_Hey, Greg, let's get a move on!" Brandon shouted, as he urged Greg hurry up._

"_Yeah…" Greg took one last glance around, before catching up with Brandon._

_Unseen by the two teens, a cloaked figure stood atop the school. His outfit was completely black, and his face was well hidden. He chuckled to himself, as he watched the two teens walk off into the distance._

"_Soon, Keybearer of Twilight, your destiny will be revealed…" the cloaked figure chuckled to himself._

_- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - _

The night seemed to blacken, as the dark clouds blocked out the moonlight. The wind started to pick up, and the waves began get rougher. A storm was coming, and it was gong to be big.

"Sora, wait for us!!" shouted Selphie, who had came to a stop, trying to catch her breath.

"Yeah, we can't just run around the island aimlessly!!" added Tidus.

Sora turned back. His eyes didn't seem so happy anymore, and it was the first time any of his friends had seen him like this. "No! I have to find Kairi, no matter what!" he shouted.

"Sora, we'll find her. Just, calm down." Wakka shouted out to him.

"No! Either you're coming or not, I don't have time to waste. I have to find her!" Sora shouted, as he turned away and began sprinting down the beach.

"That kid's becoming a real pain." Tidus growled to himself.

"Tidus! Wakka! What are those things?" Selphie shouted with fear. She pointed her finger in the distance. Black creatures, with glowing yellow eyes, began to sprout out of the ground. They looked around, as if trying to find something.

"What the hell is going on?!" shouted Tidus, as he turned toward the creatures.

"I don't know, but we can't stay here. They're coming toward us!" Wakka shouted, as he began sprinting in the direction as Sora.

"C'mon, let's go Selphie!" Tidus shouted, sprinting off. Selphie followed behind.

Greg and the others…

"For some reason, I think something is wrong with this situation." Brandon uttered, as he slowly backed up. He could feel the others backing up as well. They were all back-to-back now, trying to figure out their next move.

"Yeah, I'll have to agree with you." Riku added, as he stared at the yellow-eyed creatures with disgust. "They've got us surrounded."

"What do they want with us?" Tami shouted. She could feel her hand's grip tighten around Greg's hand.

"I don't know, but what exactly are 'they'?" Greg asked.

"They just keep coming. If we don't get out of here soon, will be over taken." Riku shouted out.

The black creatures finally began to move in, preparing themselves for an attack. The teens could hear their black claws digging into the sand, as they grew closer.

Suddenly, Riku dove into the crowd. The creatures quickly reacted to this action, and turned their attention toward the white-hair teen.

"Riku!!" shouted Tami. "What are you doing?"

Riku turned to the others, smacking the away the creatures. "I'm going to distract them. Get out of here and find the others. Find Kairi, and make sure she's alright!!"

"But Riku!!" Brandon shouted.

"Just go!! I can handle this!!" shouted Riku, as the creatures swallowed him.

"Riku!!!" Tami shouted again.

"C'mon, we have to get going. We have to find the others." Greg uttered, tugging at Tami's arm. She turned and nodded. "Brandon, let's go."

"Yeah…" Brandon replied, as they rushed off. Brandon came to a stop after they were at a safe distance. He turned toward the crowd of creatures. They were advancing toward them, and Riku wasn't in sight. "Guys!! Those creatures are still coming and Riku is gone!!" Brandon shouted to the others. This caused Greg and Tami to come to a stop and turn around.

"What? Where is he?" Tami shouted.

"I don't know, he's just gone." Brandon replied, as he ran up to the others.

"This is just great. First we lose Kairi, and now we lose Riku." Greg sighed, and then looked back at the creatures. "But, they're still coming. We have to keep going." With that said, the three of them rush off again.

Sora…

Sora stopped in the sand, trying to catch his breath. He looked around again, but no one was around. "Kairi…" he uttered.

He felt as the rain began to pour, quickly soaking his clothes and hair. It felt like all hope was lost. Kairi was nowhere in sight, and he didn't know what to do.

"Where is she?" he uttered to himself.

"Sora!!! Help me!!" Kairi's voice echoed through Sora's ears. The young teen looked around, and spotted something he had never seen before. It seemed to be a portal of some sort, because after he witnessed it, he saw a large ship appear out of it. The ship looked like a flying fortress, colored different shades of tan. What caught Sora's eye first was a man, wearing shiny tan armor, holding Kairi by her arms and covering her mouth.

"Kairi!!" Sora shouted, rushing over to the man and Kairi.

The man reached into his pocket and revealed a gun of some sort. He was quick to aim it at Sora. "Stay where you are, kid!!" shouted the man.

Sora's feet came to a stop, but he wanted to keep running. His heart was beginning to pound. "Please, just give Kairi back to me." He begged the man.

"Ha, no way kid. We need her."

"Who are you?" Sora asked, as he slowly began to step forward.

"Don't bother introducing yourself to this boy." A voice implied. Sora and the armored man looked toward the ship. A man, with waist-length red hair, was departing from the ship. He wore a tan trench coat, a dark tan pair of pants, a light tan shirt, and brown boots.

"Who are you, and what do you want with Kairi?" asked Sora, who was beginning to get angry. He had ignored the gun, and turned his attention toward the man with long red hair.

"None of your business, boy. Just tell your little girlfriend goodbye, alright?" grinned the red head.

"No! Give Kairi back to me, now!!" Sora shouted in reply. He didn't know what he was going to do, but he was going to get Kairi back, even if it costs him his life.

The man grinned, again, and then snapped his fingers. In a matter of seconds, a crowd of armored people stood before Sora. "Go home boy, or will use force."

"No!" Sora protested. "Give Kairi back to me!"

"Sora!!" shouted Tidus from behind. Sora turned to see all his friends rushing toward him. "We're here, don't…" Tidus, along with everyone else, stopped in his tracks when the armored figures aimed their guns.

"Who the hell are you guys?!" shouted Greg. He moved slightly in front of Tami, as if to protect her.

"More of you kiddies?" The man uttered. He seemed to be getting annoyed.

"Hey, give us Kairi!!" shouted Selphie, as she began to march forward. Brandon was quick to grab her arm. "What are you doing? Let me go!"

"No. If you go, you'll be killed." Brandon pulled her back and forced her to stay behind him.

"That's it. All you kiddies will just have to die." The man implied. He sounded so calm, as if he killed children all the time.

The redheaded man snapped his fingers once more. This time, the armored figures cocked their guns and prepared to fire on the man's command.

Just as the redhead man was about to say the word, Riku appeared in front of the squadron of figures. In his hands he held a weird looking sword. The sword looked like a demon's wing, with an eye just above the handle.

"Give Kairi back to us, now!" Riku shouted, as he prepared himself for battle.

"Not another kiddy." The redheaded man sighed.

"Riku, you're alive!!" shouted Brandon, in shock.

Riku didn't reply. He seemed to be focusing on the problem at hand. "Don't make me repeat myself." Riku uttered.

"That's it, take 'em out!!" shouted the redhead.

Suddenly, the sound of gunshots filled the air. Sora and the others flinched in fear. Soon, they realized that they were still alive.

"Are we in heaven?" Brandon asked, as he peeked one of his eyes open. What he saw was something out of the ordinary. Riku, somehow, produced a barrier, that protected everyone. The barrier seemed to be made out of darkness. "What the heck!!" Brandon shouted

"Riku, what's going on?" Sora asked, turning to his friend.

Again, Riku didn't reply. Instead, he leapt through the barrier and into the crowd of armored figures. His friends watched as he tore through the crowd, killing anyone who got in his way.

"Riku!!" Shouted Tami, who was confused. She turned to Greg. "What happened to him?"

"I… don't know…" Greg replied. Something had gone terribly wrong when those creatures attacked Riku. He couldn't figure it out. Had the creatures possessed him? Or was Riku hiding this power all along?

Greg was deep in thought, when Riku came soaring onto the ground in front of him. He quickly came back to reality. "Riku!"

Riku slowly rose to his feet, glaring at the redheaded man. "Who… are you?"

"My name does not concern you now, _Keybearer_." The man replied. The man had deployed two twin swords, and was ready to attack.

"_Keybearer? Did he just say that? What the hell is going on?_" Greg thought to himself.

"_Kairi… Even Riku is fighting for her, but I can't do anything. If only…_" Sora thought to himself. He was feeling quite hopeless. He had believed that he was the only one that could save Kairi.

Suddenly, without thinking, Sora made a mad sprint toward Kairi and the man holding her. The redhead appeared before him, preparing to end his life. As Sora flinched, preparing him for the attack, a bright light emerged from his hand, temporarily blinding everyone.

"Sora!!" shouted his friends.

When the light faded, the redhead was lying on the ground, slowly getting to his feet. "What?" he uttered in shock. "Two _Keybearers_?" The man's attention was completely drawn to the key-shaped weapon Sora held in his right hand.

Sora was in shock himself. He didn't know where it came from. The silver blade and golden handle shined with light, even though no moonlight was visible. Also, a silver keychain hung from the rear of the handle.

"What is that?" Tami asked, peeking her head from behind Greg's back.

"I don't know myself." Sora replied, staring at the blade in confusion.

"That's impossible!! You _Keybearers _should be extinct!!" shouted the redhead, in shock. Worry could clearly be heard in his voice.

"Well, if we're _Keybearers_, like you say, then we're not extinct." Riku implied, glaring at the redhead. He turned to Sora. "Stay out of this."

"But Riku, I want to help."

"I don't need your help." Riku replied. He lunged at the man and swung his blade with force, only to miss. The man was too fast for Riku. Riku could feel a blade on his back, as it slit through his skin. Riku quickly fell to the ground.

"You may be _Keybearers_, but you're still not experienced with the _Keyblade_ enough to beat me. Besides, you're just a bunch of kids." The redhead chuckled, as he heard Sora rushing toward him. The man quickly dodged Sora's attack and delivered a powerful kick to his chest.

Sora flew back onto the ground, clutching his stomach. "He's… going to get Kairi…" Sora uttered.

"That's right." The man turned to his subordinate. "Let's get going. We've wasted enough time with these kids." Everyone could hear his annoying laugh, as he and his subordinate entered the ship, along with Kairi.

"No, Kairi…" Sora whispered, as he attempted to get to his feet. He watched, in horror, as the ship disappeared into the portal. "Kairi!!" he yelled, with all his might.

No one could do a thing. They all watched the ship enter the portal and disappear. There was silence for the moment, as the rain pounded everyone. Riku slowly rose to his feet, clutching his blade tightly.

"I can't… let them take Kairi away." He uttered to himself.

"This is just great. We're never going to find Kairi now." Brandon sulked.

"No, we have to." Sora replied, as he got to his feet. He clutched the Keyblade tightly, just as Riku. "The portal is still open. I'll find her." Sora shouted, as he dashed toward the portal.

"Sora, stop!!" shouted Tami. But it was too late. Sora had already leapt into the portal and was long gone.

"He's actually right for once." Riku chuckled to himself. He started off toward the portal.

"Riku, no!! Don't go!!" Selphie shouted out to the white-haired teen.

Riku glanced back. "I can't stay here, Selphie. You must understand, I didn't give myself to the darkness for nothing." He uttered, as he disappeared into the portal.

Again, there was silence. First Kairi, and now Sora and Riku were now missing and there was nothing they could do. All seemed hopeless…

"What do we do now?" Tidus asked quietly. Barely anyone heard his sad voice.

"We go and search for them." Greg replied, as if that was the only option.

"We can't just barge into that portal. We don't know where it's going to take us." Wakka implied.

"I think Greg's right. We can't just sit here and do nothing. We have to find them and bring them back." Stated Tami, who agreed with Greg. She then smiled at him. "And Greg, I think I'm okay now, so you can let go of my hand."

"Oh!! Uh…I…" Greg uttered, quickly releasing Tami's hand. He could feel the nervousness overtaking him. "Yeah… Just making sure you're okay." He laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head.

"I bet your face is so red right now." Brandon chuckled, pointing a finger at Greg.

"Hush it, Brandon." Greg replied, turning away. Tami giggled to herself.

"This is no time to be joking around!!" Selphie shouted. All the laughter seemed to drift away, and they were all brought back into reality. "What's wrong with you all? We just lost Kairi to some psychos, and Sora and Riku went after her. And you guys are standing here laughing!!"

"Sorry Selphie. We're just trying to lighten up the moment. We'll get them back, no matter what." Brandon tried to reassure her. "Besides, Tami and Greg started it." He glanced over at the two, who were giving him death glares.

"Selphie is right. This is no time for fun." Tidus uttered.

"You're right…" Greg added. He turned and stared into the portal with his brown eyes. "I'll go after them."

"What? You can't go after them alone!" Brandon shouted.

"I know, but I need to go. I know it's weird, but it's something I have to do." Greg replied. He turned back to the others with a smile. "And don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

"Greg, you can't be serious…" Selphie asked.

"Yeah, I am. I'm as serious as I'll ever be." He continued to smile. He shifted his body toward the portal and began towards it.

"Greg, let's rethink this." Wakka called out to him.

"No, I've already made my decision." He didn't bother to look back.

Brandon chuckled to himself for a moment, and then glanced at his friend. "Fine then, I'll watch the island with the others until you return."

Once again, Greg turned around with a smile and gave him a thumbs up, before walking into the portal. "See you around."

Suddenly, Tami broke out into a run. She dashed toward the portal with all her might. _"Why?"_ she thought to herself. _"Why am I doing this? Why am I wanting to be with this guy?"_ Before she knew it, her hand had quickly grabbed Greg's hand. "I'm coming with you." She uttered, looking into his eyes. The portal engulfed them, before Greg could respond.

"Tami, no!!" shouted Selphie. Before her very eyes, Greg and Tami disappeared into the portal. And just like that, Selphie was left all alone with three boys.

"Why the hell did she do that?" Brandon asked himself, as he scratched his head. But he decided that he didn't want to know. He just smiled. "Good luck you guys. All of you." He uttered, as the portal disappeared.

"They're gone…" Tidus uttered.

"Yep, just like that." Wakka added.

"Oh cheer up you two. They'll be back before you know it." Brandon began. "Instead of sulking, let's go and see if those creatures wrecked anything."

"Well, we've got nothing better to do, other than waiting." Selphie replied. "Let's go then." She began walking off toward the town. The boys followed.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Greg: And that's it for Chapter 1: Chosen Ones. I hope you learned a little about whose going to be coupled up with whom. Though, with Riku's feelings for Kairi, it's confusing. Lol! Even so, with that said, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'll have chapter 2 up soon.

Brandon: Why the heck do I get stuck on the island?! That's not fair!! I thought I had a very important part!!

Greg: Calm down. Everything will be revealed in time.

Brandon: Sure… I bet I'm gonna be stuck on that island during your adventures in La La land.

Greg: Will you shut up! Yeesh, you'll get your stupid part!!

Brandon: Oh… all right then. –_Brief silence_- Hope you guys liked my part in this chapter!! I was sweet, wasn't I? Anyway, please read and review! This story is only going to get better!

Greg: Thanks a lot, Brandon. Now go die in a corner or something.

Brandon: Whatever, man. You know my part was the best!! And just between you and me, I think Selphie is hot.

Greg: …And you're the only one that thinks so… Again, I'll have chapter 2 up soon, so read and review. Laterzzz!! -_Walks out the room_-

Brandon: Hey, you know she is hot!!! -_Hurries out the room_-


	3. Arc 1: Chapter 2: The Journey Begins

Greg: Hey, what's up everyone? Greg here, bringing you Chapter 2.

Brandon: I wonder what this chapter is going to be about. From what it's called, it sounds like I'm going to be starting my adventure.

Greg: Not exactly. Anyway, read it, enjoy it, and review it. And I want to say a sorry to **Shiba-X**. I'm very sorry about the gender thing, please forgive me.

Brandon: Remember, all reviews must be about me!!!

Greg: No they don't! Just hush it for once!!!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Chapter 2: The Journey Begins

Flashback… 

Greg and Brandon had been walking for almost an hour. They had come to a fork in the road, which meant they had to split up to get to their individual homes.

"_So, I guess this is it for today." Brandon uttered, turning to Greg. Greg didn't reply, because he was deep in thought. "Hey!! Earth to Greg!!"_

"_Huh, what?" Greg replied, snapping into reality. His mind was focusing on the presence he felt before leaving the school._

"_This is where we split up. Didn't you hear me the first time?"_

"_No, sorry. I was thinking about something…" Greg smiled at his friend. "Alright then, I guess I'll see you tomorrow."_

"_Yep, see ya!!" Brandon replied, dashing off in one direction._

_As Greg turned in the opposite direction, a mysterious figure appeared before him. The figure was cloaked in all black and its face was well hidden._

"_Where'd you come from?" Greg asked, jumping back in shock._

"_Young Keybearer, come with me…" the figure uttered, reaching his hand out toward Greg._

_Greg's eyes stared at the hand for a moment, and then returned to the figure. "N-no, that's okay." Greg had begun to slowly back away._

"_Just take my hand. Your destiny awaits."_

"_My destiny?"_

"_Destiny." That word echoed through Greg's head. His destiny was a complete mystery, and was going to continue to be one, unless he could figure it out. Was this his chance to find out his destiny?_

_Without thinking, Greg's hand slowly began to reach out toward the figure. Then hesitation took over, and Greg's hand slowed to a stop. He quickly withdrew it. "N-no, I'll find out my destiny on my own."_

_The figure's hand fell to his side. "So be it, Keybearer of Twilight…" The figure lunged at Greg, as if preparing to attack._

_As Greg had predicted, the figure was attacking him. Somehow, Greg could predict the figure's attacks, which allowed him to evade the attacks._

_Blocking the figure's last attack, Greg countered it by swiftly punching the figure in the chest. The figure stumbled back a little, barely catching itself. "Your powers are beginning to emerge." The figure began. "You're able to predict my movements and counter them with you own. You truly are a Keybearer."_

_Greg narrowed his eyes, staring at the man strangely. "What exactly is a 'Keybearer'?" he couldn't help but ask. The man chuckled in reply. "Hey, what's so funny?" Greg asked._

"_Your destiny will be revealed in time. Everything will be revealed in time…" the figure uttered._

"_What's all this talk about destiny?" Greg asked. He was beginning to get irritated._

"_Everything will be revealed in time…" the figure repeated, as it disappeared. It just vanished, like it was never there, leaving Greg stunned._

"_What just happened?" Greg uttered, looking around. No one was around, which meant no one saw the figure. Greg could still feel the presence watching him. "Who was that figure? What does he want with me?" were the questions that plagued Greg's mind._

_- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - _

Sora…

Sora could barely keep consciousness. He dragged his feet along the dirt trail, hoping to catch sight of Kairi's kidnappers. The trail was surrounded by thick forest on both sides, making it almost impossible to see through. Luckily, the sun was directly above the trail, giving Sora light. But the sun's heat was taking its toll on him. The heat was becoming unbearable, and he was beginning to sweat uncontrollably. Suddenly, unable to contain his consciousness any longer, Sora collapsed onto the ground. The only word he manage to say before passing out was "Kairi"

In the distance, a girl with long, dark blue hair was traveling along the trail. She wore a long, pink dress and a pair of red flip-flops. Her eyes were the same blue as her hair. In her hands, she held a basket full of fruit.

"Who is that?" she asked, glancing down the trail at Sora's body. She began to walk a bit faster, in order to get a closer look. "Oh my lord!!" the girl shouted, rushing over to the boy. She nearly dropped her basket doing so. She knelt down beside the spiky haired boy. "Hey, are you alright?" she asked softly.

Sora's eyes opened slightly. He weakly mumbled something, before passing out once again. The girl knew then that the boy was in trouble. She grabbed his left arm and put it around her neck. She then positioned the boy just right, so that she could carry him.

She slowly stood up, glancing over at the boy. "He's a cute one." She giggled to herself. She slowly began walking down the trail.

Riku…

The white haired teen walked through the city, trying to make out anything familiar, but was to no avail. The city sky was dark, but the city itself was full of attracting lights. The only thing weird about it was the fact that no one was around.

Riku still held tightly to his new sword, which he dubbed 'Soul Eater'. He had been searching for the tyrants that made off with Kairi, but he also kept a look out for Sora. Having not seen anyone of the two, Riku was beginning to think that the portal randomly teleported people to random places. He just happened to end up in this abandoned city.

"Walking around aimlessly is useless. I haven't send hide, or hair, of Sora. And Kairi… she's waiting for us." Riku uttered to himself. The sound of thunder followed. There was no doubt in his mind that it was going to rain. "I have to find them…" Riku uttered, as he continued walking through the empty streets.

Kairi…

Kairi slowly awoke from her deep sleep. Her surroundings her a mystery to her, but she knew she was with the armored figures. She slowly rose from the ground and looked around. She was in a prison cell, which locked her inside with iron bars. She leapt to her feet and dashed to the bars, gripping them tightly.

"Hey!! Is anyone out there!! Sora!!! Riku!!!" she shouted. Tears began to form in the corner of her eyes, as she thought of never seeing her friends again. "Someone help…" she sobbed.

"Will you be quiet!" shouted a voice. Kairi looked around, and then noticed a woman with long, orange hair, approaching her cell. The orange haired woman was followed by a woman with long blonde hair, about the same color as Tami's. The women wore two different uniforms. The orange haired woman wore a tight, tan no-sleeved shirt, with dark tan pants, and brown boots. The blonde haired woman wore short white shorts, blue knee-high boots, a blue undershirt, and a white trench coat.

"Wh-who are you?" Kairi sniffed. Upon closer inspection, Kairi noticed that the blonde haired girl was at least in her mid seventeen's, going on eighteen. "_She's so young, yet she looks like she's been through a lot._" Kairi thinks to herself.

"Is this the girl you were talking about, General?" the blonde haired girl asked, staring at Kairi. The blonde had emerald green eyes, which stared into Kairi's blue eyes.

"Yes, this is the one. Her name is Kairi. She's the key to our Leader's plan." The orange haired woman replied.

"What are you going to do with me?" Kairi asked.

"Just keep you mouth shut." The orange haired woman shot back. She then turned to the blonde. "Now, Colonel Bridges, you must take this girl to Section 18 on the planet of Hollow Bastion."

"Understood, General Blazer. I'll make sure she is escorted over there immediately!" the blonde, Colonel Bridges, saluted her General.

"Good. Make sure you tell General Robert about the appearance of the Keybearers also." the orange haired women, General Blazer, uttered, as she left the room.

Colonel Bridges turned her emerald green eyes toward Kairi. "I'll send someone down here momentarily. Until then, sit here and keep quiet." The blonde turned and headed out the door, leaving Kairi alone.

Kairi walked to the back of the cell and sat against the wall. Hugging her knees to her chest, she slowly began to cry.

Greg & Tami…

Tami's eyes shot open. She didn't recognize the landscape. It was so different than their island. There were large plains of grass as far as the eye could see. There were a couple of trees here and there, but it was mostly green grass. Not one cloud was visible in the sky and the sun was shining brightly.

Her head was resting on someone's back and she could feel someone carrying her. She looked up to see who it was that was carrying her, and saw Greg, who was dragging his feet on the ground. She slowly smiled at him, but he didn't notice.

"Greg…" those words slipped through her lips. Greg turned his head a little, and then stopped, noticing that she was awake.

"So, you're finally awake? You were sleeping like a log back there." Greg smiled at her. Tami smiled back. "So, feel like walking? I can keep carrying you on my back, if you want me to."

"No, I can walk…" she uttered. Greg slowly let go of her legs, and she slid off his back. She stretched her arms and let out a huge yawn. She then looked over at Greg, who looked extremely tired. "Let's take a break."

"But, you just woke up…" Greg uttered.

"It's a break for you. You must be tired from carrying me all this way." She uttered, as she sat on the grass, under a tree. Greg sat next to her, slowly regaining his strength.

There was silence between the both of them, as they enjoyed the cool breeze that brushed their faces. Tami closed her eyes, taking everything in. Greg sat thinking. He had not seen anyone traveling those fields, so Sora and Riku couldn't be here.

"Tami…" Greg began, breaking the silence between them.

Tami opened her eyes and looked over at the brown-eyed teen. "Yeah?"

"Why'd you come with me?" He asked, keeping his eyes locked on the ground.

The question shocked Tami. He knew as well as she did that she wanted to save her friends. But, she knew that was only part of it. "I…uh…well…" She tried to think of something to say, but nothing came. "I…don't know why I came with you…"

There was another silence, as the breeze swept by. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that." Greg broke the silence. He looked up with a smile and stuck out his hand. "I haven't really had the chance to introduce myself. My name is Greg Thomas."

Tami looked over at Greg. And then shook his hand. "Tami Bridges." Tami replied.

"It's nice to meet you Mrs. Bridges." Greg smiled.

"Likewise." She giggled, releasing his hand. Her eyes traveled back into the sky. "So, since we're just sitting here, you might as well tell me who Vecton Rambosa is."

Greg looked over at her, wide-eyed. "Huh?"

"You know, that story you were going to tell me before Kairi went missing." Tami glanced over at the young teen.

"Well, if you really want to know." Greg replied, looking at the blades of grass below his body. "It all started…" he began.

Sora…

Sora's eyes slowly opened. Blurry at first, they soon cleared up. A girl, with long dark blue hair was staring into his eyes.

"You're awake." She smiled sweetly.

The girl leaned back, allowing Sora the space to rise up. Sora slowly rose, and then looked around. He was in a small home and he was lying on a bed. There was no doubt that this girl lived here.

Sora's eyes now focused on the girl. "Who are you? And how'd I get here?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

The girl smiled again. "My name is Ravu Hiraki. I brought you here after I saw you lying in the middle of a trail near here."

Sora's memory was finally coming back to him. He quickly shot off the bed and headed for the door. "Thanks for the save! I'll come back and repay you, but I have to go." He uttered, before falling onto the ground. His body was still weak, and needed food.

The girl let out a small giggle and helped Sora off of the ground. "Calm down, your body is still weak. You need food, so why not stay and eat?" She helped Sora back to the bed and sat him down. "By the way, what's your name?" she asked.

Sora, who was looking at the ground, glanced up at the young girl. "Oh, my name is Sora." He replied.

"Nice to meet you, Sora." Ravu smiled. She wandered over toward her small kitchen. The smell of food had already taken to the air, and Sora was getting excited.

"So, um… What are you making?" Sora asked.

"Some Kare Raisu, Yakizakana, and some Yakitori." Ravu replied, as she placed the plates on a small table. She glanced up and saw Sora, who was practically drooling at the sight of the food. She giggled again. "Come on and eat, don't just drool."

Sora straightened his posture and wiped the saliva away. He hopped off the bed and walked to the table, ready to dig into the food. But before he touched the food, he stopped.

"Is something wrong?" Ravu asked, looking a little concerned. "If this isn't the type of food you like, I can fix something else."

"No, this is fine." Sora replied. He looked over at the blue haired girl, who was standing on the other side of the table. "Why are you taking care of me? I…we don't even know each other."

"Well, because you looked like you needed help. And you seem like a nice kid, so I guess that's why." She smiled once again. "Besides, I don't get many visitors, so just eat up, okay?"

Sora smiled back and began to chow down on the Japanese dishes that Ravu had prepared for him. It wasn't long before every dish was completely clean.

"_Wow, this kid's appetite is amazing!"_ Ravu thought to herself.

Sora smiled and rubbed his stomach. "AHHH!! That was delicious!!" he shouted with a laugh.

"Glad you liked it." Ravu replied with a smile.

Sora stood up and pushed the chair in. "I'm really sorry Ravu, but I have to go. I have to find my friend."

"Find your friend?"

"Yeah, my friend Kairi." Sora replied. _"Maybe she knows about the armored people."_ He thought to himself. "Hey, have you seen any tan armored people around?"

Ravu thought for a moment, and then shook her head. "No, sorry, I haven't seen anyone like that."

"Alright then. Anyway, thank you. I'm sorry I have to go." Sora replied. He turned and headed out the door.

"_Maybe I should have warned him of the black creatures."_ Ravu thought to herself.

Riku…

"Where the hell am I?" Riku asked, looking around. He seemed to be seeing the same thing everywhere he went, dark skies and tall buildings. "This city is becoming quite annoying. There is no exit out of this place." He uttered, as he slowly began to walk again.

Out of nowhere, small black creatures rose from the ground, surrounding Riku. Riku glanced around and recognized the creatures in an instant. "The creatures from the island? But what are they doing here?" he asked, as he watched the creatures close in on him.

Suddenly, one of the creatures lunged at the young Keybearer. As if he predicted it, Riku cut it down with ease. More began to lunge at the Keybearer, but Riku was ready for them. Their attacks were slow, and Riku evaded them with little effort. He would counter when he had the chance, which wiped out three or four of the creatures.

As the battle raged on, Riku's stamina began wearing down. His attacks became less destructive, and his speed was slowly decreasing, which allowed the creatures to get a few scraps across his body.

Unable to hold them off any longer, Riku leapt backwards. As his feet connected with one of the walls of a nearby building, he leapt from it and onto another building. He continued this action until he stood atop on of the buildings.

"That was close." He uttered, looking down at the creatures. The creatures were flooding the city, and they were all looking for him. "What the hell are they?" he asked, as if someone were to answer it.

"They're the Heartless…" a voice replied from behind Riku. The voice shocked Riku, which made him turn around quickly. A small mouse, about half the size of Riku, was standing behind him. He wore a black coat, which hid everything but his face. In his hand he held a Keyblade similar to Sora's. The handle was silver and the blade was gold.

"Who are you?" Riku asked, turning to face the mysterious creature. He quickly noticed the Keyblade he was holding.

"My name is Mickey Mouse." The creature uttered, as he approached the edge of the building. He looked down at the creatures known as Heartless. "You must be one of the Keybearers."

"Yeah, I guess so." Riku replied.

Mickey looked up at Riku. "You must be the Keyblade Master of Darkness."

"Keyblade Master of Darkness? I don't know what you're talking about…" Riku replied. He was sounding a bit confused.

"What's your name?"

"Riku…" Riku replied.

"Well Riku, I'll explain everything later. Right now, you have to come with me." Mickey uttered. He slowly backed up, and then began running toward the opposite side of the building. Somehow, the little guy managed to land on another building. "Come on Riku, unless you want do deal with the Heartless again." 

Without hesitation, Riku dashed across the roof of the building and jumped to the next one. Mickey nodded, and continued leaping from roof to roof. Riku followed closely behind.

Kairi…

Having cried herself to sleep, Kairi awoke once again, still inside the cell. She slowly rose to her feet, brushing the dirt off of her clothes. She looked around, but saw no one. "Sora…" she uttered slowly.

She then heard someone approaching, and ran up to the bars. She saw the girl, with long blonde hair, approaching followed by four tan armored soldiers. They stopped walking once they were in front of Kairi's cell.

"Is this the girl, Colonel Bridges?" one of the armored soldiers asked.

"Yes, private. I need you and your squadron to escort this girl to Section 18 on the world of Hollow Bastion, understand?" The Colonel explained.

"Understood Colonel!" the armored soldiers saluted.

"Good. I'll be leaving for Hollow Bastion momentarily. I want to see her there when I get there." Colonel Bridges demanded, before leaving the room.

The armored soldiers turned toward Kairi, who had slowly back into the far corner. "Alright, you heard the Colonel! We have to get this girl to Section 18, ASAP!!" shouted one of the armored soldiers. The other soldiers nodded and unlocked the cell door. The entered and quickly grabbed Kairi, before she could resist. "Good job men. Now, let's get her to the ship." The soldier in charge implied, leading them away.

"_Sora, please help me…"_ Kairi thought to herself.

Greg & Tami…

"Wow…" Tami uttered, after Greg finished his little story. "So the two of you left your home so that no one would get hurt?" Greg nodded, as he looked up at the cloudless sky.

"But nothing has changed." He uttered.

"What do you mean?"

"You heard him before. Now I have to worry about you and the others." Greg implied.

"You don't have to worry about me, I'll be fine." Tami smiled at him sweetly.

"_I hope you're right…"_ Greg thought in his mind. He gave a sigh, and then stood up. "Alright, we better get going."

Tami looked up at him. "Where to?" she asked, getting to her feet.

"I don't know, but we can't sit here forever. We have to find Sora, Kairi, and Riku."

"You're right, let's go then." Tami smiled once again, trying to get Greg to smile back. He hadn't smiled since he started telling that story and Tami knew something was wrong.

The two of them stood for a moment, taking in the breeze one more time, before setting off again. "Are you alright, Greg?" Tami finally asked.

Greg didn't reply for the moment. He just stood there. He could feel that something was coming.

"Greg?"

"Something is coming…" he replied.

Tami stared at him, a bit confused by his reply.

Greg turned around, looking past Tami, and into the distance. "They're here too?" he uttered.

Tami's eyes looked in the direction that Greg was looking in. In the far distance, a small black wave seemed to be swallowing up the plains. "Oh my!" Tami felt Greg's hand grab hers, and before she knew it, they were running as fast as they could.

"We have to get somewhere safe." Greg uttered, tugging at Tami's arm.

"Look, there's a city up ahead!!" Tami shouted, pointing in the distance. She was right. There was a large city just in the distance, and in the very middle of it was a white castle.

"That'll do just fine. I just hope it's abandoned." Greg uttered.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Greg: Okay, that's it for this chapter. Sorry it took so long. The girl Sora met is Ravu Hiraki, one of my own characters. Her name, Ravu, means love in Japanese, and she plays a big part in the story. The foods that Sora ate were all in Japanese. Kare Raisu is Curry Rice, which is from Japan, Yakizakana is grilled fish, and Yakitori is grilled chicken pieces on skewers.

Brandon: Hey, no one cares about all that!! They want to see more of me in the story!! Right?!?!

Greg: Brandon, you'll get your part. You might be getting it sooner than expected because I have to rearrange everything. Originally, Ravu was supposed to come in on Chapter 25, but hey, I'm making the story better.

Brandon: Right… Anyway, who's Colonel Bridges? She seems to look a lot like Tami.

Greg: -ignores Brandon- So, hope you guys liked this chapter. Like I said before: Read it, enjoy it, and review it!!! Laterzz!!

Brandon: Yeah, what he said!!!


	4. Arc 1: Chapter 3: Two Halves

Greg: All right everyone this is chapter 3. Hope you all like it!

Brandon: Am I in it?

Greg: -_sighs_- yes Brandon, you're in it this time…

Brandon: -_jumps up and down with joy_- YES!!

Greg: Oh!! I've been reading other KH Fanfics and I've noticed that I'm missing a 'disclaimer'. Sooooo, Brandon you'll be doing it from now on!

Brandon: What!! Why me!?!

Greg: Well I'm not putting you in this chapter for nothing. Now hop to it! –_Smiles_-

Brandon: Fine…

Disclaimer: We do not own Kingdom Hearts or Disney!! We only own some of the characters and some of the worlds.

Brandon: Happy now?

Greg: I was happy to begin with. Now, enough chitchat! Time for chapter 3!!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

**Chapter 3: Two Halves Make A Whole**

_Flashback… _

_Greg stared out the window, in a slight daze. His classmates around him were working on some worksheets and answering the questions the teacher was asking, but he was lost in thought. It had been almost one week since his encounter with the mysterious person. 'Keybearer of Twilight…' he thought to himself. 'That's what he called me…'_

_Greg was so lost in thought that he failed to hear the teacher call on him to answer a problem. "Greg Thomas!!" the teacher shouted._

_Greg quickly snapped back into reality and looked at the teacher. He saw his classmates staring at him. "Uh… yes ma'am?" he asked._

_The teacher stared at him with a worried face. Greg had been starting to daze off everyday in class, and that wasn't normal. "Are you feeling okay? Maybe you should get some water and head to the nurse." She implied. Greg nodded and slowly rose out of his seat and headed out the door._

"_Like getting some water would solve my problems." He uttered to himself, as he walked to the water fountains. He leaned forward and got a quick sip, before heading back toward the class. He stopped before the door and a strange feeling washed over his body. He quickly looked around. "Don't tell me he's here again?" he asked himself._

_Instead of heading into the class, Greg headed for the gym. As he walked through the halls, the strange feeling began to grow. When he reached the gym, he stopped before the door. "Someone's in here…" he uttered, before pushing the doors open._

_To his surprise, no one was inside of the huge room. He walked out into the middle of the room. The strange feeling continued to wash over his body. 'What is this feeling I keep getting?' he thought to himself, taking another look around._

"_So, you're the one dubbed 'Keybearer of Twilight'…" a voice uttered, shocking the young teen. It sounded much like a girl's voice. A dark cloud formed in front of him and a figure stepped through it, like it was a portal or something. "Hello, Greg…"_

_The person was covered in all black and a hood shrouded his face. At first glance, Greg thought it was the man before, but then he noticed that this figure was about his height, where as the man was much taller than him. Also, the voice sounded feminine, so it definitely couldn't be the man from before._

"_Who are you?" Greg asked, backing away slowly. He nearly tripped over his feet in doing so._

"_Sorry, did I startle you? Some 'Keybearer' you are." The figure said in a cold tone._

"_Hey, you'd be startled too if someone appeared out of some dark cloud!" Greg shouted in response._

"_Just calm down, okay?" the figure uttered, propping her hands on her hips. Greg took a deep breath, and gave the figure a nod. "So, anyway, you __**are**__ the 'Keybearer of Twilight', whether you like it or not, okay?" Greg nodded once again. "I'm here to warn you. If you stay here, you'll definitely be in __**his**__ hands soon."_

_Greg eyed the figure with confusion. "Whose hands?" he couldn't help but ask. For some strange feeling, he knew whom the figure was talking about._

"_Don't worry about that. If I tell you, then you'll only ask more questions, which I don't have time to answer." The figure uttered rather loudly. "Okay, back to what I was saying." Greg could hear the girl take a deep breath and clear her throat, before continuing. "You must know that Twilight dwells in both Light and Darkness, which means that you dwell in the two elements as well. Do you understand?" The figure explained in a softer tone._

"_Yeah, I know what the Twilight is. I mean, I've read a dictionary before." Greg smiled, scratching the back of his head. He could hear the figure sighing for a moment._

"_This kid is becoming annoying." The figure muttered under her breath._

"_You say something?" Greg asked._

"_Will you just listen?!" she snapped at him. Greg winced at the sound of her voice. He nodded slowly and closed his mouth, pretending to zip it closed. "Okay, since you're the 'Keybearer of Twilight', in order to reach your full potential, you must be in synch with both your Light and your Darkness, get it?"_

"_Uh… Yeah, I guess…" he uttered, scratching his head once again._

"_Ugh!" the figure sighed again. "Look, just get your butt to the Destiny Islands, okay? You destiny awaits there." She uttered. Greg nodded slowly, still a little confused. He watched as a dark cloud appeared behind the figure, and she turned and began walking into it. He could hear her mumble something like 'This kid is impossible.'_

"_Hey, I heard that!" he shouted into the cloud._

"_Whatever kid! Just get your butt to those islands!" she shouted, as the clouds diminished._

_Greg stood where he was, taking in everything the figure had just told him. "Well, she didn't really tell me anything. She just continued calling me the 'Keybearer of Twilight'. Nothing new." He said to himself. "but what's this about synching my Light and Darkness? And this 'destiny' thing?" He threw his hand onto his forehead. "This is all too much…" he mumbled, shaking his head._

_As he began getting lost in thought, again, the school bell rang, bringing him back to reality. His eyes widened. "Crap! I forgot all about class!" he shouted, rushing out the gym door. He nearly tripped again, but caught himself by grabbing onto the gym door. 'Why does that keep happening?' he thought to himself, as he ran through the halls._

_Flashback End..._

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Greg & Tami…

For some strange reason, that girl's words began appearing in Greg's head, as he and Tami sprinted across the field. He glanced back. Tami was growing tired from the running and he could see that she was beginning to slow down. "C'mon Tami, just a little further." He uttered back to her. 'Who am I kidding?' he thought to himself. 'We'll never make it to that city!'

"Greg, I can't keep going." Tami replied. Greg slowed to a stop, allowing her to rest. "I'm sorry." She said, as she leaned over and placed her hands on her knees. She was breathing heavily.

He glanced back at the ocean of black creatures that were approaching them. Then he looked at the city. They were almost a mile away from their destination. He knelt down beside Tami. "Don't worry Tami. I'll try and slow them down. You make your way to the city at your own pace, okay?" he said to her gently.

Her eyes widened as she looked up at him. Her emerald eyes met with his chocolate colored eyes. "But…"

"Don't worry about me." He cut her off. "I'll be fine. Besides, I'm the Keybearer of Twilight, remember?"

"I know, but that's not a title of invincibility. You can't possibly hold them off alone." She argued.

"I can try…" he uttered, as he stood back up. The creatures were now minutes away from reaching them. He looked down at Tami. "Now get a move on. I'll meet you in the city." He reassured her with a smile.

Seeing that his mind was made up, she gave him a nod. "Alright, but you better make it there." She gave him a warm smile in return, and then slowly began jogging toward the city.

Greg watched her until she was at a safe enough distance, and then returned his attention to the ocean of creatures. The creatures were now seconds away from his location.

"I have to make sure she's safe from now on." Greg uttered to himself. He held his right hand out in front of his body. '_Why?_' he thought to himself. _'Why do I feel the need to protect her?_' He couldn't help but think of her. '_What's with these thoughts? Why am I constantly thinking of Tami all of a sudden?_'

The creatures grew even closer, and Greg was still lost in thought. _'Maybe that's what a 'Keybearer' is supposed to do…' _he thought to himself. _'To protect others…'_ As those thoughts crossed his mind, a beam of light shot from his right hand. It temporarily blinded him, and also stopped the creatures in their tracks.

As the light dimmed, Greg could see that he was holding a blade of some sort, a Keyblade. The tip of the blade was white and shaped like half of a star, with five points erecting from it. The fuller was separated into two separate pieces of metal, leading toward the sword's guard. The guard looked like two wings of an angel, which circled down to the pommel of the handle. The grip was located in the middle of the two angel wings. At the very end of the pommel, a small keychain hung. The charm it held was shaped like a yellow, five point star.

Greg blinked in awe at the white sword he held tightly in his hand. It looked unbelievable. But the moment didn't last long, as Greg glanced at the creatures before him. They had stopped their approach, and were now staring at Greg and the Keyblade he held.

Greg glared at the creatures before him. "What do you want from us?" he asked. The creatures didn't reply, but instead, they kept fidgeting. "Hey! I know you can hear me!" Greg growled at the ocean of creatures. There was more than he could count, and he couldn't tell one from the other. "Fine." He uttered to himself, gripping the Keyblade handle tightly. "Just stand there like fools then. It'll make it easier for me." He grinned.

As though the creatures read his mind, they began approaching Greg again. He could hear their claws ripping up the grass and dirt. _'This is it.'_ He thought to himself, rushing toward the army of shadows.

He leapt into the crowd of creatures, swinging the Keyblade viciously. He managed to hit a few of them, before one of them dug their claws into his back. It didn't seem to faze him, as he just shook it off and stab it. As the battle continued, he noticed that none of the creatures were heading for the town.

'_Good, she's safe now…'_ he thought to himself, thinking of Tami's face. He shook the thought from his mind, when he felt one of the creatures grab his leg. He swung the Keyblade at its head and knocked it off. Ignoring that creature, he spun around and cut down three more. Two of the creatures lunged at him from behind, but somehow, he knew they were coming. He spun around, once again, and cut them down. _'This is going to be easy.'_ He grinned at the creatures.

Sora…

Sora had left Ravu's house in such a hurry that he forgot to ask where he was. He was aimlessly walking around. Somehow, he ended up back in the thick forest from before. He searched for a way out, but the trees blocked all exits.

"This is just great…" he sulked, sitting down on the ground. He leaned his back against a tree. "Oh Kairi, where are you?" he asked, as if she was going to answer the question. He thought back to the days before they all got separated. Images of his friends appeared in his head. Then it hit him. "The others!" he burst out. "I wonder if… they followed me…" he uttered. A small grin appeared on his face. Of course Riku would have followed him, he thought.

A small black creature appeared, out of then air, in front of Sora. Seeing this, Sora snapped out of his dream. He quickly stood up, and the Keyblade appeared in his hands. "Wha-" he thought. His eyes went back and forth from the Keyblade and the black creature. "What is that?" he asked, trying to back away from it. The tree stopped him from going back any further. He watched as more began to sprout from the ground, behind the previous one. "More of them?"

The creatures' yellow eyes shined, and their black claws dug into the dirt. They made weird, inhuman noises and began fidgeting. Sora gripped his Keyblade tightly. "I guess this thing is good for something." He said to himself, as he slammed it into one of the creatures' head. The creature flew into several others. This action caused them to approach the young 'Keybearer of Light'. "Maybe… I shouldn't have done that…" Sora uttered to himself, preparing himself for their attack.

Just as the black creatures were about to attack Sora, a figure appeared before the young Keybearer. At a closer glance, Sora could see the figure's face. It was Ravu, but her clothes were different. Instead of her long, pink dress and red flip flops, she wore small, skin-tight shorts, a tight, white sleeveless shirt, with some sort of black boots on her feet. Around her waist was a small, black belt with a small pouch attached to it. Not only were her clothes different, but also her hair was tied into a ponytail. Strands of her blue hair covered parts of the left side of her face, so her left eye was barely visible.

"Ravu!?!" Sora shouted in shock. She glanced back at Sora and grinned, as a black and red Keyblade appeared in her hands. The blade was a dark black color, with five red colored spikes erecting in different directions near the tip. The grip was colored black, wrapped in red tape or bandages. Unlike Sora's quillian on the hilt of his Keyblade, Ravu's quillian began at the pommel and ascended upward toward the tang, or end of the blade. Descending from the pommel, or end of the hilt, was a black and red keychain, which held the charm of two stars, one red, and the other black.

"Sorry, I should have told you about the Heartless…" she uttered, bringing her Keyblade before her. She readied herself for battle. "You're pretty new at this, so just back me up, okay?" she asked, lunging at the Heartless.

"The…Heartless?" Sora mumbled, as he watched Ravu attack the fidgeting black creatures.

"Hey, Sora!! A little help!" Ravu shouted to him. Sora shook his head, snapping himself out of his trance. He gave her a slight nod, and joined her in the battle.

Riku…

Somewhere, deep within the city, Riku and Mickey were resting. To Riku, leaping from building to building wasn't his ordinary way getting around. They had finally outrun the Heartless and were now taking refuge in one of the old abandoned buildings. Mickey showed Riku how to diminish his Keyblade, so that the Heartless wouldn't find them as easily.

"What are the Heartless? And where do they come from?" Riku asked the small mouse, while looking out the foggy window. He had noticed it had started to rain, making the city even more eerie. He looked back at the mouse, which was preparing to speak.

"The Heartless?" Mickey cleared his throat. "The Heartless, creatures of the darkness created when a being succumbs to the darkness in their hearts, appear out of nowhere. Their origin and purpose are surrounded in mystery." He explained.

"Out of nowhere?" Riku restated. "That's not telling me anything! They attacked my home, along with those armored guys!" Riku's anger was getting the best of him. He needed information, and this mouse was giving it to him.

"The Heartless casts worlds into darkness, stealing away people's hearts. If they appeared on your home planet, then the Heartless were after you, the Keyblade Master." Mickey implied.

"The Keyblade?" Riku thought. "That man kept calling us Keybearers. My friend, Sora, had a 'Keyblade' too, if that's what you call them."

"Your friend, Sora?" Mickey uttered to himself.

"Tell me, what is the Keyblade?" Riku asked.

"So, this Sora is also a Keyblade Master?" Mickey asks himself. "We have to find your friend…"

"That's why I'm here. I have to find both of them." Riku uttered, turning his head toward the window again. "My friend, Kairi. She was taken by those armored figures that appeared last night during the invasion of those 'Heartless'."

"Armored figures? What armored figures?" Mickey asked in reply. He sounded a bit curious.

"I don't know who they are, but they wore armor that was colored different shades of tan."

"Interesting…"

"What?" Riku asked, turning his head back toward the mouse.

"Nothing." Mickey simply replied. He walked over toward the door. "Come on. We have to leave."

"Leave?" Riku asked. "Where are we going?"

"We have to find your friends." Mickey replied, opening the door. _"And those armored figures…"_ he thought to himself.

"Alright…" Riku replied, following the mouse out the door.

Kairi…

Kairi sat in a small room, alone. Near the door was an armor figure, which stood there, watching her. She was in the back of one of their ships. She didn't see much before being put on the ship, so she couldn't make out her location. But it didn't matter, because she heard the armored figures talking about 'flying through space' or something like that.

Strands of her crimson hair fell in front of her face. She tilted her head, trying to move it away. She even tried to blow upward as to move it, but it didn't work. It was hard trying to move the strands from her face, with her hands handcuffed.

"Fine…" he pouted, as she gave up trying to move the strands. But her mood quickly changed, as thoughts of friends passed through her head. "Will I… ever see them again?" she asked herself.

"Hey, keep it down over there." The armored figure shouted.

As told, Kairi closed her mouth. She had a feeling that the armored figure was glaring at her, but she couldn't tell because the figure's face was hidden.

The opening of the door, next to the figure, caught Kairi's attention. As the door fully opened, Colonel Bridges stepped into the room. She gave Kairi a quick glare, and then turned towards the armored figure.

"How is our little guest, private?" she asked the figure.

"Co-Colonel Bridges!" shouted the figure, in surprise. "I thought you were still at Section 5!?"

"No, I decided to tag along. Now, how is she? Any outbursts?" she asked.

"No ma'am!" the figure saluted her. "Everything is under control!"

"Good, good." The Colonel glanced back to Kairi. "Make sure it stays that way…" she uttered before leaving the room.

"She looks so much like…" Kairi began, before the figure demanded her to keep quiet.

Brandon…

Everything seemed to go back to normal on the islands. None of the other islanders seemed to remember the strange black creatures, or the armored figures for that matter. It was hard to believe Brandon and the others when the islanders didn't witness it themselves. Life went back to normal, except for the fact that Sora and the others were still missing.

Brandon sat alone at a table, in the Ice Cream Parlor. He wanted so bad to go and help Greg, but what could he do? Greg had told him that he had a feeling that he had to follow, where as Brandon had a feeling to stay here. Also, Brandon couldn't help but think of Tami's last move. Why would she want to leave? All these thoughts and feelings plagued his mind.

"Oh my god!! How do they eat this?" Brandon asked, as he finished licking the Sea Salt ice cream. "It's so salty…. yet sweet." he smiled, and licked it again. He continued to eat the ice cream, trying to get him mind off of what had just happened hours ago. "It's no use…" he uttered to himself. "I should have went with them…"

"As much as I would have liked that," Selphie uttered, as she sat down beside him. "I have to disagree with you."

Brandon glanced over at her and then looked out the window. "Why?"

"Because you belong here now. If you would have went with Greg and Tami, you might not come back…" Selphie looked down at the table.

"They'll be back… All of them…" Brandon uttered, licking his ice cream.

"What makes you so sure?" Selphie asked, glancing over to him.

"I just know…" Brandon replied.

She smiled and took the ice cream from him. "Thank you."

Brandon turned to say something, but she was already running out the door. "What's her problem!?" he shouted, running after her.

The Armored Figures Base…

"So, you're telling me that the 'Keybearers' of legend are upon us?" a man asked. His face was not visible to the eye, due to him sitting in the shadows of the small room. Three other figures were also in the room. Two were females, while the other was a old male. One of the females consisted of long, red hair and wore the elite uniform of their organization. The other had medium length blonde hair, and also wore the same elite uniform. The male had short, gray hair. He was shorter than the other two and wore the male version of the elite uniform. Attached to his side, was a sheathed Japanese sword.

"Yes sir." Replied the redhead. "That is what Brigadier General Blazer reported to me." She watched as the old man chuckled. "What's so funny, Han?" she growled, giving him a glare.

"General Blazer, your brother, Fanix, makes up so many lies. I'm surprised you believe him." The old man chuckled.

"Well, his report is correct. We have the Princess in our possession." The redhead, dubbed General Blazer, replied.

"Is that so?" the blonde woman asked, finally breaking her streak of silence.

"That's right. I've seen Kairi myself." General Blazer replied, sounded as if she had done something amazing.

"And the report stated that the 'Keybearers' cared for this girl?" the man, still hidden by the shadows, asked. The three figures before him nodded their heads. They could hear the Superior officer chuckling to himself. "Then the Keyblade wielders will come looking for us. Brigadier General Blake, find out more about these wielders of the Keyblade and report back to me."

The blonde, seemingly titled Brigadier General Blake, saluted the shrouded figure. "Yes sir, I'll do my best!" she shouted. She turned and headed for the door.

"Where do you think you're going, Nuciear?" asked General Blazer. Brigadier General Blake turned and glanced back at the redhead and then at the hidden figure. Her face seemed to be looking for permission to leave the room. She sensed that the figure gave her a nod and glanced back at the redhead.

"I have a mission to complete, Tiki, unlike yourself." Brigadier General Blake turned and headed out the door. Before the door closed, she could be heard mumbling something like 'Tiki you lazy bum'

"Ugh, one of these days…" Tiki growled, balling up her fist toward the door.

"Calm yourself, General Blazer." The shrouded figure uttered. Tiki lowered her fist and turned toward her Superior, giving the figure a nod. "Now, Tiki, I need you to get some information from General Robert, regarding the appearance of another Keyblade wielder."

"I'll get right to it, sir!" she saluted.

The Superior nodded and Tiki headed out the door, leaving only the old man, who had sat quietly throughout the whole ordeal. "Now, General Ching, my spies report that the King of Disney Castle has mysteriously disappeared, is that true?"

"Yes sir! He vanished days ago." General Han Ching replied.

"I need you to find out where he's hiding and dispose of him, understand?" General Ching saluted his Superior and nodded his head. "Alright, you may go." Han Ching nodded his head and headed out the door, but was rather slow doing it. "There should only be three wielders of the Keyblade… whose the fourth?" the man uttered to himself, as he leaned back in his chair. "It does not matter. Everything will fall into place once _he_ is in my possession." The man chuckled to himself.

Greg…

The battle against the ocean of black creatures was still raging on, even after an hour. Greg seemed to be getting nowhere, because the ocean of creatures seemed endless. To him, all he was doing was moving away, trying not to get hit, and swinging the white Keyblade around, known as the Amulet of Promise or the Oathkeeper. The only thing keeping him from dying was luck, not skill.

He jumped back, hoping to avoid some of the black creatures. "How many….of these things…are there?" he asked himself. He could feel his arms growing heavy, and he could feel the pain emerging from his wounds. "Maybe…this wasn't such….a good idea." He uttered between breaths. The creatures continued to attack him, and he continued to swing the Keyblade aimlessly.

"This isn't working!" he yelled, as he knelt down. He could barely move and his body ached so badly. Not only that, but his vision was beginning to blur and he felt that he could no longer hold his consciousness. "No," he uttered, shaking his head, attempting to clear his eyesight. "I have to keep fighting…" He tried to force his body to move, but he couldn't. If it weren't for the Keyblade holding him up, he would have collapsed moments ago. He watched as the yellow-eyed creatures slowly approached him. His vision was so blurry, that it looked as if he was about to be swallowed by an ocean of Darkness. _"I have to get up…"_ he thought. _"I have to find them… all of them…"_

As those thoughts echoed in his head, the Keyblade began to pulsate. Its pulse was strong, but he could barely feel it. Somehow, it was mimicking his heart. _"Is this thing connected to me, or something?"_ As the pulse became even stronger, the Keyblade began to glow, which stopped the approaching creatures. Greg watched, as the light seemed to scare off the creatures. Before he knew it, the light itself blinded him, but during that short time of blindness, he fell unconscious.

_"Where…am I?" Greg asked, looking around the grayish colored area. The area consisted of nothing, nothing at all. Not a sky, not land, nothing. He wasn't even sure if he was there or not. But he proved himself wrong when he stared down at his body. His clothes were all white, which shocked him in the very least. "And who changed my clothes?"_

_"Calm down." A voice echoed through the area of nothingness. An image of himself appeared before Greg. But the image was different. His clothes were all black, instead of white._

_"Who are you?" Greg asked, feeling like he asked a dumb question._

_"I'm you, but in a darker form." The darker version replied, crossing his arms. "So you're the representation of my light?" he asked, scanning the white clothed Greg. "Not much, but you'll do."_

_"And you're my darkness, uh…" Greg uttered._

_"Call me Tony. I can see that they resemblance confuses you, Greg." The darker form uttered. "And yes, I am your darkness."_

_Greg looked around the area, which he seemed to be floating in. "Where are we?"_

_"This is just a small place in your mind that we can chat in." Tony replied, taking a glance around the room as well. He glanced back at Greg. "Alright, let's get this straight. You're a weakling, got it?"_

_Hearing that remark, Greg glared over a Tony. "I'm not a weakling!" he shouted in retort._

_"Yeah, you are. The only reason why you lived through that battle is because I lent you some of my power. Without me, you would have died long ago." Tony grinned. He could feel Greg's anger building. "In order to unlock your full potential, and the full potential of your Keyblade, you have to be at an equal level with me, which you're not."_

_"Oh yeah?" Greg uttered, as the Amulet of Promise appeared in his right hand._

_"So, you want to find out if I'm correct?" Tony waved his hand through the air. Suddenly, Greg could feel solid ground beneath his feet, but it still looked like nothing was there. "I'll show you exactly what level I'm on." Tony uttered, as a black Keyblade appeared in his right hand._

_At the tip of the Keyblade was the 'key part' of the weapon, which was black. The blade of the Keyblade was also black, with a design running down the middle. The guard of the black Keyblade was made out to be two demonic wings, which curved to attach to the pommel. In the middle of the guard was a purple gem. The grip of the Keyblade was colored dark silver. At the end of the pommel, a black keychain dangled downward. The charm attached to the Keyblade was a black crown looking charm._

_"I'm guessing, since you're me, you're also a Keybearer." Greg uttered, as he entered a fight position._

_"Yep, that's right." Tony uttered, entering the same position. "Now, show me that you're on my level. Better yet, go beyond that and my Memories Past Keyblade is yours." He grinned._

_"Fine! You asked for it!" Greg shouted, as he moved forward, toward his other half. Easily predicting Greg's move, Tony evaded the attack and slammed his Keyblade into his half's stomach. Greg shook off the blow and lunged at Tony again, this time bringing his Amulet of Promise Keyblade downward, hoping that Tony wouldn't block it. Bringing his Memories Past Keyblade, or Oblivion Keyblade, as it is also known, upward, Tony blocks the attack easily. Greg feels something push onto his stomach, and he flies back onto the solid surface as a result._

_"Come on! Get up!" Tony shouted, as he slowly approached his other half._

_Greg struggled, but managed to get to his feet, just in time to block Tony's attack. Greg forces his darker half back, and lunges at him. Tony dodge rolls and then swings his Keyblade at Greg's side. Somehow, Greg had managed to dodge that attack, and then lunged at Tony again. As predicted, Greg's attack was blocked, which led to the two of them pressing their blades against each other._

_"You're not half bad, I'll give you that." Tony uttered, breaking the stalemate. He leaps back, avoiding Greg's next attack. "You're good at handling you Amulet of Promise Keyblade, despite having no swordsman skills whatsoever."_

_"You think so?" Said Greg, who was dashing toward his other half, with his Keyblade drawn. With the flick of Tony's wrist, Greg's Keyblade vanished. "What? Where'd it go?"_

_"Yet you can't control the Keyblade at will…" Tony uttered, as his Keyblade diminished. "You must understand that your Keyblade will come to you when you want it to. It is part of you." Tony noticed the confused look on Greg's face. "Think of it as an attachment to your Heart." Greg replied with a slight nod. "Anyway, it's about time you left here, for now."_

_"Leave? How I get here?" Greg asked._

_Tony placed his head in his hand. "This is a dream, you idiot." He glanced up at his other self. "But this is very real, so don't get it confused with your other dreams." A grin appeared on his face. "Whenever you feel alone, remember that I'm here."_

_Greg could feel his feet slowly rising off of the solid he was standing on. "I guess I'm off then." Greg grinned, as he floated away from his other half. "I'll be back to beat you real soon!" He could hear Tony chuckling to himself._

_"Yeah, will see about that." Tony replied, as his light became barely visible. "And do me a favor! Stop thinking about that girl so much!" he grinned. He knew Greg was probably blushing now._

Tami…

Tami sat beside the bed, in which Greg was fast asleep. She had returned to the field, with someone she had met in the town surrounding the castle, and had found Greg unconscious. Having brought him back to one of the Inn's, so he can rest, she quickly bandaged him up. She had been so worried, but now that he was all right, and she could relax.

"Please wake up…" she whispered to him. The sound of a door opening entered her ears. She quickly turned to see who was coming in. It was a young girl, around the age of twelve, who stood about 5'0, who had long, black hair and dark brown eyes. She wore a tan, short-sleeved shirt, brown pants, and black shoes. The right leg of her pants was ripped completely off. On her right leg she has knee armor covering her knee. One her arms were a pair of tan colored gauntlets, and on her back was steel shield.

"Is he away yet?" the twelve year old girl asked, as he walked over to the bed. She stared down into Greg's face, which consisted of a bandage on his left cheek. "He looks vaguely familiar…" she thought to herself.

"No," Tami shook her head. "He's still asleep…"

"I'm sorry this happened to your boyfriend Tami…" the girl replied.

Tami's eyes widened. "He's not my boyfriend, Rebecca!" she shouted.

The black haired girl, Rebecca, rubbed the side of her head. "Oh, sorry about that…" she chuckled. It was then that she noticed Greg's eyes twitch. "Hey, I think he's waking up." She blinked.

Tami turned her head back at Greg, and looked at him. She could see twitching in his eyes, as if he was trying to wake up. After about a second or two, his eyes slowly opened. He blinked a few times, before looking around the room, and then at Tami and Rebecca.

"Good morning." He smiled, as he looked into Tami's eyes. "I'm glad you're safe."

Tami smiled back, sweetly. She could feel her eyes getting teary, and she didn't know why. He was just some boy that she had met almost one day ago, and yet, she was crying for him. "It's all thanks you…" she uttered softly.

Again, Greg smiled. His eyes traveled to the girl next to Tami. "I'm guessing you're the one who help Tami?" he asked.

Rebecca smiled. "Yep, that's me!" she uttered. She then made a silly pose. "I'm the Famous Rebecca Thomas!" she shouted.

"You're a Thomas too, eh?" Greg asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What? Your last name is Thomas?" she asked. Greg gave her a nod. "That is so cool!" she shouted.

"Yeah…" Greg uttered, as he leaned up. He winced in pain, as he stretched his sore muscles. "So, how about some food? I'm pretty worn out from that battle."

"Food?" Rebecca restated. "Oh, I know just the place. I'll be back in a flash!" she smiled, running out the door.

"Did you meet her at the candy store or something?" Greg asked, looking over at Tami.

Tami smiled and gave a small giggle. "Yeah, I believe I did."

Sora…

Ravu and Sora made quick work of the Heartless, and were now one their way to who-knows-where. Ravu had explained what a Heartless was to him, and said that they originate from the darkness in people's hearts. She also explained that a Keybearer is summoned to defeat the darkness, which is why they both have Keyblades. The conversation had gotten too boring for Sora, so he began ignoring her.

Ravu had decided to tag along on Sora's journey in order to help defeat the Darkness, because she is Keyblade wielder. Sora began to wonder how Ravu had gotten so good, and she replied "I've been fighting with the Keyblade for awhile now." That was the last time they talked, until they reached an Inn

"Alright Sora, we'll be staying here for tonight." Ravu implied, pointing at the Inn. She looked up at the sky. It was filled with a different array of warm colors, which only meant that nighttime was just around the corner.

"Yeah, it's fine by me." Sora replied, as he walked up to the door. Ravu followed him inside. Once inside, they paid for separate room and went in for the night.

Brandon…

The sun was finally setting on Destiny Islands. Brandon sat at the docks, along with Selphie, who had hung with him the whole day. His hazel eyes looked out at the horizon, hoping to see Greg and the others swimming back to shore, but nothing happened. He watched the water sparkle as the sun's rays shined upon it.

"It's beautiful…" he heard Selphie say. He looked over to her, and she smiled at him. "I know what you're thinking…" her eyes returned to the horizon. "They'll be fine, Brandon. You worry more than my mother." She giggled.

"Ha, ha, HA!" Brandon forced a laugh. He looked down at the water again. "I just want to help… that's all…" he uttered, as he watch little fish swim around below the surface of the water.

"We all do, Brandon. And we'll find a way to do that…" Selphie replied, as she glanced at him. "My heart tells me that we'll see them again, sooner than expected…"

Brandon smiled and looked at her. "It's getting late…" he stood up and outstretched his hand toward her. "Come on, I'll take you home."

Selphie frowned and took his hand. "Since when are you a gentleman?" she asked sarcastically.

"There's a first for everything, you know." He chuckled, as the walked toward Selphie's home.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Greg: Wow, how'd you guys like that!? Awesome, huh? -laughs- Okay, so could you guys get a good description of the Keyblades in your minds? I wasn't that good at describing them anyway. And yes, I put the Famous Rebecca in!! Isn't she just awesome!

Brandon: Uh, no! She's not awesome!! She's freaking twelve!!

Greg: Brandon… I wouldn't have said that if I were you…

Brandon: Why?

Rebecca: -Throws her shield and watches it make contact with Brandon's head- You've got some mouth!!

Brandon: -Rubs the back of his head- Hey, what was that for?!

Rebecca: -smiles- My hand slipped, sorry.

Greg: Right… Okay, so please read it!

Brandon: Enjoy it!

Rebecca: -waits for Rebecca's line- What am I supposed to say?!

Greg: -sighs- Please, just review everyone!

Rebecca: Was I supposed to say, "Review it" or something?

Brandon: Yes, you were supposed to say that…

Rebecca: Oh!! Review it!! Haha!!

Greg: -sighs-


	5. Arc 1: Chapter 4: Friends & Foes

Greg: Hello again, fellow readers! It's me, Greg, bringing you another KH: SOT chapter, for my fellow readers. I am so sorry that it took to long to update! I was just so busy and stuff. But I shouldn't make excuses, it's my fault and I'm sorry for the late update.

Brandon: It's only been ten days…

Greg: Exactly!! Ten whole days!!

Brandon: Yeah… Anyway, we hope you like this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Kingdom Hearts or Disney or that place that made Kingdom Hearts. (I forgot their name…) I only own some characters and made up worlds.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_Flashback… _

_The school day went by pretty quickly, for Greg that is. His mind had been fascinated by the words of the hooded figure he had met in the gymnasium. Again, she had called him the 'Keybearer of Twilight'. What was a Keybearer exactly? Both of the figures he had encountered had called him a Keybearer, yet never explained what one was. _

_He stopped, and looked around. Teenagers, who attended his school, were preparing for departure. The yellow school buses waited across the street. Instead of heading for his bus, he decided to walk home._

_"I need some time to think about all this…" he uttered, as if he asked himself why he didn't head for the bus._

_Before he knew it, he was far off in the distance, walking alone. He was in an alleyway, with only one way out and still, his mind was filled with the words that the two-cloaked figures had mentioned to him. He came to a stop, when he felt that he was being watched. The same presence, from days ago, washed over his body._

_"Come on out! I know you're here!" Greg shouted out. He heard chuckling, as a cloaked figure appeared before him. "You-You're the one that attacked me before." He uttered._

"_I'm surprised you can sense my presence, yet you can't call the 'Key'." The figure muttered. Greg could tell that this was the manly figure he had met days ago._

"_There you go again with this Keybearer crap. How about you tell me what a Keybearer is?" Greg asked._

_Without saying a word, the figure lunged at Greg and began attacking him. Somehow, Greg could predict his movements and dodge._

"_Your skills are good." The figure uttered, as he sent a kick towards Greg's head. Greg dodged the attack by ducking, and then saw that the figure had changed positions. The figure was now in a position in which he could punch Greg. Greg moved back, only slightly, avoiding the figure's gloved fist. As Greg stood up, he felt the figure's foot connect with his chest, sending him into one of the walls._

"_Damn…" Greg uttered, as he looked up at the figure. Seeing Greg in this position, the figure quickly threw his right fist, only to have Greg evade it by dodge rolling. The fist barely missed its target, as it collided with the wall. By the time the attack had stopped, the figure's arm was half way into the wall. He pulled his arm out of the wall, and chuckled._

"_You're fast." He uttered, turning to Greg. Greg was out of breath, having to dodge all of the figure's quick attacks._

"_Why are you attacking me?" Greg managed to ask. Before the man could answer, a voice came from down the alley._

"_Greg!!" Greg turned toward the voice to see Brandon running towards them._

"_No, Brandon stay back!" Greg shouted, motioning his hand for Brandon to stay away. Brandon stopped in his tracks when his eyes met with the hooded figure._

"_What's going on here?" Brandon asked. The figure wasted no time, and lunged at the blonde._

"_You're only going to get in the way!" the figure shouted, as he drew back his fist._

_Brandon was completely frozen. He didn't know what to do. His legs were shaking and sweat droplets were forming on his forehead. Brandon closed his eyes and prepared himself for the attack, but it never came. The sound of the man's fist hitting metal was the only sound. Brandon peeked one eye open, to see what the metal sound was. Greg was standing before him, dressed in all black, holding a black key-shaped sword._

"_What?!?" the figure asked in confusion, as he leapt backwards to get away from the 'Keybearer'._

"_Greg! What happened to you!?!" Brandon shouted._

_The brown-eyed teen looked back at Brandon. "The name's Tony, kid."_

"_So, the boy's Darkness is stronger than his Light." The cloaked figure chuckled. "How about cutting our plans short and taking our side."_

"_I'm done listening to you!" Tony shouted, rushing toward the figure. He brought the black key-shaped sword down on the figure, attempting to slice him in half, but the figure disappeared before the weapon made contact. "Stop running." Tony frowned, gripping his weapon tightly._

"_Uh…Greg… I mean, Tony… What's going on?" Brandon asked, looking around._

"_He's gone…"Tony uttered, as he walked over to Brandon and stared him in the eye. "I'm sorry about this…" he uttered, as he disappeared._

_Brandon's eyes widened, as Tony vanished from his sights. What had just happened here? And who was Tony? Brandon couldn't move. His mind was filled with so many questions. But, just as he started to move, he felt a sharp pain in his neck. And just like that, everything went black._

_Tony stood behind the boy, lowering his hand. It was he who dealt the blow. He sighed heavily. "I better get this kid home…" he muttered, as he picked the dirty blonde up and placed him over his shoulder. He looked around once more, just incase someone was still there, and then vanished, along with Brandon in his possession._

_Flashback End… _

_- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - _

Greg stood at the window in the room, looking down onto the passing citizens. The sun was shining brightly, and the people of the city were going about their normal routines. Greg only watched, and for some reason, he looked at every passing citizen's face, trying to confirm if they were one of his missing friends.

His eyes traveled back to the bed, where Tami was sleeping soundly, and a small smile forced its way onto his face. She was safe, and that was his number one priority: to keep her safe. But why did he feel that it was what he needed to do? She was nothing more than a girl he had met a little while ago, and yet, he felt he needed to protect her. _Why_? That was all he asked himself. _Why_? He turned back to watching the citizens, hoping it would take his mind off of that question.

Tami slowly opened her eyes, trying to adjust them to the morning light. She leaned up off of the bed, slowly, and gave her eyes a good rub. She yawned for a moment, and then looked around the room. Rebecca, the young girl she had met yesterday, was asleep in one of the chairs in the room. The young raven-haired girl had agreed to help them in their search for Sora and the others, after hearing the story behind their disappearances.

Tami's eyes continued to search the room, until they focused on the brown-eyed teen by the window. She looked at him from head to toe. Bandages covered small parts of his visible body, but he seemed to be all right. A warm smiled graced her lips, knowing that he was going to be okay. Even though she was glad he was all right, why did she care if he was? Why did she care for him so much? He _was_ a friend, but she cared for him _way_ too much, and she didn't know why. Was it because she liked him? No, that couldn't be it. She couldn't like him after just about two days… could she? She shook her head, trying to get those thoughts from her mind.

Greg looked back towards the bed. His eyes met with a pair of emerald green ones. "I see you're awake." He smiled.

"Yeah…" she muttered, leaning her legs off of the bed and onto the floor. A small blush crept onto her face, seeing as Greg caught her staring at him. He didn't seem to notice. "You're up early."

"I had a lot on my mind, so I couldn't sleep." He replied, as he stared back out the window.

"Like what?" Tami couldn't help but ask. "Is it about _them_?" she asked. She felt that if she said their names, that only sadness would come of it.

"Yeah…" Greg's eyes went to the floor. "I just…" he began. "I don't know what to do, or where to go. From what Rebecca said, about the other worlds, they could be anywhere."

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure we'll find them, sooner or later. We just have to have faith." Tami uttered, as she looked down at her feet. Faith. It was something she had little of. She had given almost all of that away long ago.

Greg smiled at hearing her words, and his eyes focused on her. "You're right, Tami. We just need to have a little faith." Tami gave another warm smile, one that Greg was becoming quite attracted to.

Tami's eyes wondered back to Rebecca, who was starting to stir in her sleep. "Looks like she'll be awake soon." She implied, staring at the young twelve year old.

Greg glanced over to the young girl, who had just opened her eyes. She gave a big yawn and looked around, all while scratching her head. "Good morning you two." She uttered, as she rubbed one of her eyes.

"Good morning, Rebecca. How'd you sleep?" Tami asked, as she stood up and stretched her limbs.

"Great!" Rebecca smiled, as she leapt out the seat and into the middle of the room. "So, today is the day we leave, right?"

"Yeah, today is the day we begin our search." Greg muttered, as he walked over to the bed and sat down. "But, we haven't had time to look around this city. How 'bout we take a quick look around before heading for another planet?" he asked, looking at the two females.

"Yeah, I think it's a good idea." Said Tami, who glanced over at Rebecca.

"Sure, let's make it quick though. I'm tired of being in Disney City." Rebecca implied. She looked at the other figures in the room, which gave her confused glances in return. "What?" she asked.

"Is that the name of this city?" The blonde girl asked.

"Yeah." Rebecca smiled. "This whole place is naturally known as the Disney Kingdom, because King Mickey rules over it in his big, white castle." Rebecca moved her hands through the air, trying to refer to how big the castle was. "Anyway, we better get a move on." She smiled once again, before heading for the door.

"How can she be so hyper in the morning?" Greg asked, as he followed her out the door.

"I have no idea, but you're asking the wrong person." Tami giggled as she trudged behind.

Somewhere in Disney City…

A large, bulky man walked through the streets of Disney City, wearing all too familiar tan attire. The man had dark, hazel eyes and had no hair. Equipped by a strap, to his back, was a large, steel mace. His head glistened in the sun, as he walked through the crowded streets. "How come I get stuck seeking that 'Rat of a King'?" he asked himself.

The man walked on, and then grinned when the white castle seemed to get closer and closer every step he took. "Alright your majesty, you better be here." He chuckled to himself, as he quickened his pace.

Not far from the man, standing atop one of the buildings, was another figure, with a large sword strapped to it's back. The figure was dressed in a white, no sleeve shirt, with gray cargo pants and black boots. His eyes were a chocolate brown and his spiky hair was a raven black. The sword he held on his back looked about the same size as its wielder.

"The Empire…" the figure grunted in disgust. His hand went to his sword's grip, as if he prepared to slay the bald man that his eyes were focused on. He slowly lowered his hand back to his side. "I wonder…" the figure uttered, as he leapt from the building.

Sora…

The young spiky-haired teen exited the Inn, rubbing his eyes continuously. He stopped when he noticed Ravu swinging her Keyblade around, as if she was warming up. He walked over to the blue haired girl, who had ceased her exercise when she noticed Sora approaching.

"Well, good morning, Sora." Ravu smiled, as she lowered her Keyblade.

"Good morning, Ravu. What are you doing out here?" Sora asked.

"Oh, just training. It's my morning exercise." She replied, as her Keyblade diminished. She then smiled at him and said, "You better start training yourself. It's a long and difficult road ahead, and you have to be ready for anything."

"I know…" He held out his hand and the Kingdom Key appeared in his grip. "This key comes with a mission, right?" he asked as he looked up at Ravu. "But I can't complete that mission, and save Kairi at the same time."

"Kairi?" Ravu thought about that name for a moment. "Isn't that your girlfriend?" she grinned.

Sora's eyes widened, and his face began to feel hot. "Uh, n-no," he stuttered, as he turned his head away from Ravu, trying to hide his blush. "She's just a friend."

Ravu laughed to herself. "Of course she is." She chuckled. She turned and began walking away, toward a trail that led…somewhere. "Now come on. We have to get going."

"Going where?" Sora asked, as he jogged to catch up to her.

"To get a Gummi Ship, so that we can go looking for your girlfriend." She muttered.

"She's not my girlfriend." Sora could feel the blush easing its way back, but he tried to ignore it. "What's a Gummi Ship?"

Ravu placed her hand on her forehead and shook her head. "You really aren't from around here, are you?" Sora responded with a simple nod. "Well, it's a ship that will take us to different worlds. Places where your girlfriend might be."

"She's not…" Sora muttered, but stopped short. Why did he feel so bad when he uttered those words? He knew he liked Kairi, and was pretty sure that she liked him the same way, but for them to be a couple? He had really thought about it, and was trying to work up the nerve to ask her before she was kidnapped.

"Hm?" Ravu glanced over at the blue-eyed boy. "She must mean something to you, if you're risking your life to save her.

"Yeah, she does mean a lot to me." Sora said, as if no one was around. He then realized what he said and smiled nervously. "But we're just good friends, that's what I meant." He added, scratching the back of his head.

"You are a weird one, you know that?" Ravu giggled, as they both continued down the dusty trail.

Riku…

Riku leapt backwards and landed against a wall, next to the mouse. His body was covered his cuts and bruises from the battle at hand. He looked out at Heartless. The horde grew closer and closer, backing them against the wall of the building.

To him, it felt that he had been fighting and running around this city for the whole night, which was true, he just couldn't tell because the sky was always cloudy. Even though he had just got his weapon, the Soul Eater, he quickly became accustom to it. Also, his sword training on the island helped out too, and he was now putting it to good use.

"Riku, are you okay?" Mickey asked, as he backed up next to the teenaged Keybearer.

Riku turned to the mouse, which held a Keyblade in his hand. To his surprise, the mouse had no scratches or bruises on his little body. "Yeah, I'm fine Mickey." Riku lied. The young Keybearer was tiring quickly, due to not having any rest.

Mickey somehow sensed that Riku was tiring, and knew that he wouldn't last much longer. _"I better get him out of here."_ Mickey thought to himself. He pointed his Keyblade, the Dark Kingdom Chain, at the Heartless and held it steady, closing his eyes as he did so.

Riku glanced over at the mouse, again. _"What is he doing?"_ Riku thought, looking at the mouse's stance. The tip of Mickey's Keyblade began to glow, and a bright light began to shine. Riku quickly looked away from the light, shielding his eyes. His eyes weren't ready to see that amount of light yet, due to being in this darkened city. Even though the city had light's of it's own, the Keyblade created a purer light, which lit up the whole area.

"Alright Riku, you can open your eyes now." Mickey muttered, as his Keyblade diminished. At Mickey's request, Riku opened his eyes slowly. His eyes suddenly widened when no Heartless were visible.

"Where'd they all go?" Riku asked, looking around in awe.

"I used the power of the Keyblade to destroy them." Mickey replied. He looked up at Riku, who was still in shock. "We better get somewhere safe. We both need to rest."

"Yeah…" Riku uttered. He looked down at his Keyblade. Did it have that much power? Or was it that this mouse was more skilled than him? Riku started to ask, but thought it'd be better if he found out himself.

"C'mon Riku!!" Mickey shouted, as he ran off.

Riku snapped back into reality and turned to Mickey. "Right behind you!" he replied, as he took his leave, diminishing his Keyblade as he did.

Kairi…

Kairi could feel something brush up against her. She slowly opened her eyes to yet another unfamiliar room. She looked around, but saw nothing but another tan armored soldier. She continued to look around, until her sights sat on the women sitting beside her. The women wore a pink dress, brown boots, and a red ribbon in her hair. Her hair was braided into one large braid. Her green eyes glanced over at Kairi.

"I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" she asked softly.

"No ma'am." Kairi replied, as she looked at the ground.

"My name is Aerith." The women stated.

"I'm Kairi."

"Kairi? Well, how'd you end up here Kairi?" the women asked.

Kairi glanced over at the women named Aerith. The women seemed so calm, even though she was in prison. "Those people." Kairi motioned her head toward the tan figure outside of the barred prison. "They kidnapped me from my home…" Kairi glanced back over at the women.

"I see." Aerith replied. "Don't you worry, we'll be out of here in no time." Kairi looked at her with a confused look. Aerith saw this and smiled. "I have friends on the outside."

"Oh." Kairi muttered, as she thought back to her friends. Did they come after her? Were they even alive? She shook her head, trying to get the thoughts from her mind. "If you don't mind me asking, Miss Aerith, where are we? And who are those armored guys?" Kairi asked.

"We're in the town of Hollow Bastion. As for those figures there," Aerith motioned her head toward the figure. "They are the _Rambosan Army_, of the _Rambosan Empire_."

"The Rambosan Army?" Kairi asked herself.

"That's right! Now quiet down!!" shouted the guard, as he stomped his foot on the ground.

Kairi quickly closed her mouth, and didn't dare to make another sound. The same went for Aerith, who was shocked by the soldier's outburst.

Somewhere in Hollow Bastion…

A man, dressed in a black trench coat, black pants, and black boots stood on top of one of the buildings, arms crossed. Strapped onto his back was a large sword, wrapped in white bandages. He had short, spiky blonde hair and blue eyes. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"I'm coming Aerith." Muttered the man.

"We're all going." A voice corrected him. The blonde headed man turned to see another man, with medium length brown hair. He wore a black jacket, white tee shirt, black biker pants and black shoes. Located over the bridge of his nose was a scar.

"Why don't you guys let me handle this, Leon?" the blonde headed man asked.

"Because, Cloud, we're in this together. And besides, we have to get rid of those soldiers once and for all." The man, named Leon, replied.

Cloud looked back out at the Rambosan Base, just a few minutes away. It was small, but heavily guarded by soldiers. Cloud couldn't figure out why it had doubled in the amount soldiers' overnight, but it didn't matter. He was going to rescue Aerith, no matter what the cost.

"When do we leave?" Cloud asked, as he looked back at Leon.

"Whenever Yuffie and Tifa return." Said Leon, who had turned to take his leave.

Cloud turned his head slightly, watching Leon leap from the building. He thought back to the others, Yuffie and Tifa, who had went ahead to scout the area. They had been gone for sometime now, and would be returning at any moment. It wouldn't be long before he was inside the Rambosan Base, tearing away at whoever got in his way.

Cloud's blue eyes went back to watching the base. "I'm coming Aerith…" he muttered again.

Rambosan Base, Section 18…

Colonel Bridges walked down the freshly built corridor, on her way to the meeting room to speak with General Robert. She had to hurry and give General Robert the information about the Keyblade Wielders.

"It should be just around this corner." She uttered to herself, as her walking pace quickened. When she turned the corner, she bumped heads with another officer. "I'm so sorry." She quickly apologized.

"Whoa Olivia, where's the fire?" the man asked. The man wore a tan uniform, just like the rest of the people working for the Empire. The man had short brown hair and a brown mustache.

"Colonel Mandero, what have I told you about calling me by my first name?" Colonel Bridges asked.

"Calm down, I was just wondering where you were going?" Colonel Mandero muttered.

"Well, if you must know, I was on my way to see General Robert." She implied.

"Is that so?" the male asked. "About?"

"About the sudden appearance of the Keyblade Wielders, of course."

"Oh, that sounds like some important information. You better go find General Robert quick." He smiled.

"Yeah, I know." Olivia looked past the fellow officer. Her eyes focused on the door just a few feet away. "If you'll excuse me, I have to get to that room." She implied, rushing past Colonel Mandero.

Olivia bolted into the room. A young woman, around the age of twenty-two, with blonde hair, turned around to face the intruder. She wore a general's uniform that was tan in color. She smiled upon seeing the intruder's face.

"Oh, it's just you Colonel Bridges." The woman said.

"Sorry for the intrusion, General Robert, but I've brought important information from General Blazer, regarding a new threat." Olivia replied, bowing slowly. She raised her head, seeing General Robert's confused look.

"And what exactly is this information that General Blazer wanted me to know?" the General asked.

"It's about the legend of the Keyblade Wielders."

"Oh really? What about those Wielders of the Keyblade?" The General asked.

Colonel Bridges took a deep breath, and looked the General straight in the eye. "They were spotted about two days ago."

"Interesting…" The General replied.

"Also, we've captured the Princess. We've her imprisoned downstairs." Olivia added.

"I see. Thank you for the information Colonel Bridges." General Robert replied, as she sat down in one of the seats in the room

"My pleasure, General!" Olivia saluted, and then left the room.

Upon stepping out of the room, she noticed Colonel Mandero waiting at the end of the hall. He was talking to another officer, probably a low ranker. Colonel Mandero caught her attention and motioned her to come over.

"What is it, James?" Olivia asked.

"That will be all, officer." Colonel Mandero, or James, uttered to the officer. The officer saluted, and took his leave. He turned his attention toward the young blonde approaching. "I'm sure you've heard this, but there is a small rebel group dwelling in Hollow Bastion."

Olivia gave him a confused look. "Unfortunately, I didn't know that. Have they resisted our demands or something?"

"You could say that. We managed to take one of them hostage. She's down with the Princess, which means they could be planning to attack at any moment." He implied.

"I'm sure it'll be easy dealing with the rebels. They shouldn't put up much of a fight."

"That's just it. When we first encountered them, they totally overpowered us. There were only about eight of them." James stated. His voice was a little shaky.

"Eight!?! You're telling me that eight of them took out some of our best men?" Olivia asked in shock.

"That's right." James placed a hand on his head. "And we've just found out that Hollow Bastion, the city and castle, are invested with Heartless."

"Heartless, eh?" Olivia placed a hand on her chin. There was no doubt that there was going to be a brawl soon, and she was going to be in the middle of it. But having Heartless around, during the Rebel attack, would only cause more trouble. "You better retrieve your weapons and inform the other officers of the Rebel attack. I'm sure they'll be attacking us within the next two hours, maybe sooner. And you must be prepared to fight against the Heartless, remember that."

"You're completely right. I better get going." James turned to take his leave, but stopped and looked back at Olivia. "And you better increase the security downstairs. They'll be coming for their friend."

"Already on it." Olivia replied, running in the opposite direction. James nodded and took his leave.

Greg & Tami…

"For some reason, I don't think we're going to find _them_ here." Greg sighed. The town streets were so crowded, that Greg couldn't even see his feet anymore. "I don't even think we're going to find a way out of here…" he added.

"Stop complaining. We're going to look for _them_ whether you want to or not, got it?" Tami scolded. She took a firm grip around his hand and pulled him through the crowd, trying to keep up with Rebecca. They finally caught up to her, when she stopped for some ice cream.

"You guys should really try to keep up." Rebecca smiled, as she paid for her Sea Salt ice cream. Greg stared at the ice cream, like he had never seen one before.

"…can I" he was cut off by Rebecca.

"No, you can't have any." She replied, as she turned away to lick the ice cream.

"…but, that's no fair…" he whined. But Rebecca continued to lick her ice cream. She even grinned at Greg, once or twice.

"Okay, you two, let us keep going. We still have a lot of ground to cover." Said Tami, who grabbed Rebecca's hand and pulled her and Greg through the crowds.

"Tami, I really think you should slow down." Suggested the young Keybearer.

"Nonsense, we've got to get through this city as quick as we can." Tami replied, as she tugged on Greg and Rebecca's hands. It seemed that the day _would_ have been pretty normal, if it weren't for the loud explosion in the distance. Tami, along with Greg and Rebecca, quickly dropped to the ground. The surrounding people followed the same procedure. "What was that?" Tami asked, looking at Rebecca for an answer.

Rebecca was completely shaken up. Her eyes were wide and she was shaking uncontrollably. Greg crawled over and put an arm around the young girl, trying to comfort her. He turned to Tami. "I think it was some sort of explosion." He shouted over the screams of the civilians.

Tami stood up, seeing as nothing else followed the explosion, and made her way over to Greg and Rebecca. Greg, who picked the crying Rebecca up onto his back, stood and confronted Tami. "Are you alright, Rebecca?" Tami asked, putting her hand on the young girl's head.

"…yeah…" Rebecca sniffed.

Tami turned her gaze toward Greg. "What do you think is going on?" she asked in a puzzled voice.

Greg's eyes went toward the castle. "The explosion came from the castle. And from the looks of the people, I don't think explosions go off like that every day."

"So, what do we do?"

"I'm going to go check it out." He turned his gaze to Tami. "I want you to stay here with Rebecca. The castle isn't that far away, so I won't be long, okay?"

"No way! I'm not letting you go there by yourself!" Tami argued.

Greg lowered down, letting Rebecca slid off of his back. "I'll be right back." He replied, as he stood up.

"But-" Tami tried to say, but was too late. Greg had already rushed into the crowd of people. "Yeesh, he could at least have heard me out." Tami pouted, as she crossed her arms.

"Why is your boyfriend so reckless?" Rebecca sniffed, as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I have no-" Tami stopped and looked over at Rebecca, who seemed to be grinning. "He is not my boyfriend!" she snapped.

"Okay, okay!" Rebecca responded, defensively waving her hands through the air. "Anyway, we better follow him. I have a feeling something bad is going to happen." Rebecca started running off in the direction Greg had taken.

"Geeh, I wonder what gave you that idea. It couldn't have been that explosion that just occurred." Tami uttered sarcastically.

Minutes before the explosion…

The bulky, bald man pushed his way through the crowd, slowly making his to the castle gates. As he grew closer and closer to the castle, a grin formed on his face. Before he knew it, he was grinning ear to ear, standing before the castle gates. He looked around, noticing the two knights guarding the gate. He approached them.

"Let me inside." The bald man requested, with force in his voice.

Both of the knights looked at each other, and then at the bald man. "Have you an appointment with the Queen?" asked the first Knight.

"I need no appointment to speak with your Majesties!" the bald man shouted in reply.

"Unfortunately, you do. So, if you don't have an appointment, we're going to have to ask you to leave." The Second Knight stated, as he walked forward, pulling out his sword. The First Knight stood ready, gripping his spear tightly.

The bald man grinned at the Knight's actions. "Fool! I am Lieutenant Colonel Ganboia, of the Rambosan Army!"

"I don't care who you are! If you don't have an appointment with the Queen, get the hell out of here!" shouted the Second Knight, as he swung his blade through the air, trying to frighten the Lieutenant Colonel.

Ganboia laughed and took a hold of his steel mace. "You don't understand, do you?" the Lieutenant Colonel asked. The steel mace began to glow. "I'm getting into that castle, even if I have to kill you to do it!" Ganboia shouted, slamming his mace onto the ground. Upon hitting the ground, the mace released a sharp force wave of energy, sending it straight at the castle gates. The energy crashed into the gates, causing a huge explosion, which hurled the two Knights through the air.

When the dust and debris vanished, the Lieutenant Colonel was the only man left, standing before the gates. "That was too easy." Ganboia uttered to himself, as he lifted his mace out of the ground.

As the Lieutenant Colonel began advancing into the castle's destroyed gates, a teenage boy appeared, wearing a no sleeve, white shirt, gray cargo pants, and black boots. On the boy's back was a large sword, about the same size as the boy himself. His spiky black hair blew in the disturbed wind as his chocolate brown eyes glared at the Lieutenant Colonel.

"Step aside kid, I have no business with you." Ganboia muttered, as he continued his advance.

"Sorry, Lieutenant Colonel, but you aren't getting into this castle." The boy un-strapped his large sword and deployed it, using both hands. "I've been watching you for sometime now, and I think it's time you take your leave." The boy grinned.

"Move boy, or face the consequences!" shouted Ganboia, gripping his mace tightly.

"I think I'll take the consequences, if that's okay with you." The boy continued to grin.

The Lieutenant Colonel prepared to lunge at the raven-haired boy, but stopped when he caught a glimpse of someone out the corner of his hazel eye. He turned to face the person, who just so happened to wear a blue zipper hoodie, baggy shorts, with red and blue Adidas, and a, barely visible, red shirt.

"What's going on here?" Greg asked, as he glanced at the two figures.

"None of your business, boy. Just don't get in my way." Ganboia snorted, as he glanced back at the boy holding the large blade.

"Hey, baldy! Did you destroy the gate?" Greg shouted out.

The Lieutenant Colonel turned to face Greg. Annoyance was clearly seen on his face. "You better have some respect! I am Lieutenant Colonel Ganboia, of the Rambosan Army!!"

"Hey, look at my face!" Greg pointed his index finger at his own face. "I don't care who you are, baldy! I just want to know if you destroyed the gate or not!"

Ganboia growled in anger, clenching his fist tightly. "Boy, you better watch your tongue!"

Greg started to say something, but Tami's voice stopped him. "Greg!" she called out.

Greg turned to glance at the two approaching females. "I thought I told you to stay back!" the young Keybearer shouted to them.

"Well, we couldn't just let you check it out alone. Besides, Rebecca thinks you're too reckless to leave alone." Tami smiled. Rebecca nodded her head in agreement. Greg frowned and placed a hand on his face, shaking his head as he did. "Anyway, who are these two?" Tami asked.

Greg removed his hand from his face and looked at the two males in front of him. "I don't know the one with the sword, but baldy is part of some army. Personally, I don't care who they are. I just want to know who destroyed the gate."

"If it makes you happy, I did. I destroyed the gate, boy." Ganboia chuckled. "And soon, I'll destroy you all."

"_Alright, let's teach baldy a lesson."_ Tony's voice echoed through Greg's mind. Greg nodded in response.

"C'mon then!" Greg uttered, urging the Lieutenant Colonel to attack him. Greg extended his right arm and held out his right hand. In a flash of light, a white, angelic Keyblade appeared in his hand, the Amulet of Promise.

"What? A Keyblade Wielder?!?" Ganboia uttered in shock, as he took two steps back.

"Hm? A Keybearer?" the raven-haired boy uttered.

Greg glanced back at Tami and Rebecca once again. "Alright, you two get somewhere safe." The two females nodded and scurried off. Suddenly, the sound of steel hitting the ground entered his ears. He turned toward the sound, to see the raven-haired boy dodging the Lieutenant Colonel's mace. The boy landed next to Greg, taking a stance beside the young Keybearer. "I don't know who you are, but it looks like we're in this together."

"The names Jason, and I think you're right." The boy replied, gripping his sword even tighter.

"My names Greg." Greg introduced himself, clutching his Keyblade tightly.

"The introductions will have to cease, until I'm through here!" the Lieutenant Colonel shouted in anger of being ignored.

"Enough! I don't know what you destroyed the gates for, but I guarantee that you won't be entering them!" Greg shouted, as he rushed toward Ganboia. Jason followed closely behind, dragging his large sword with him.

"Come at me, Keyblade Wielder!!" Ganboia shouted, as he rushed toward the two young teens.

Cloud and the others…

Cloud, who was waiting near the edge of town, waiting to attack the Rambosan Base, was leaning quietly against the wall of a building. He opened his eyes, to the sights of his friends.

"Cloud, are you ready?" asked a black haired woman. The woman wore all black clothing, and had long black hair, with brown eyes.

"Yeah Tifa…" Cloud replied.

"Let's go then!" shouted another young woman. This young woman was a ninja, with short black hair. Her clothing ranged from all sorts of colors. She held a large shuriken star in her hand.

"Lower your voice, Yuffie, or they'll know we're coming." Leon shushed her.

"We better hurry…" a man, with long black hair, uttered. The man wore a strange suit, with a long red scarf, that covered his mouth.

"Vincent is right. We don't have much time to waste." Leon replied.

"Let's go…" Cloud uttered, as he leaned off of the wall and made his way toward the Rambosan Base. Leon, Vincent, Tifa, and Yuffie followed closely behind the blonde. "_We're_ coming, Aerith…" Cloud whispered under his breath, as he glared at the base.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Greg: How was that? I hope you liked it. Again, I am so sorry for the late update!

Brandon: Enough with the 'sorry' crap! You had writer's block. It happens to all of us, at some point in time.

Greg: Yeah, I guess you're right. But I have to say one more 'sorry'…

Brandon: Go on, I'm not going to stop you…

Greg: Okay. I have to say sorry to **Rikufanattic**, because I haven't read any of her new chapters yet. So, I'm very sorry for not reading and reviewing!! Notice I said 'chapters'!! She wrote like four new chapters in the time it took me to do this one!!!! Isn't that awesome!?!?!

Brandon: Wow, four chapters? She's pretty amazing…cough better than you. cough, cough

Greg: I heard that, you idiot! Anyway, I also want to apologize for Sora and Riku's parts. They're pretty short, but that's because I don't know what to do with Riku. I have sort of an idea of what Sora will be doing, but for Riku, my mind is a complete blank. So, if any of you guys have any ideas for Riku, let me know, please.


	6. Arc 1: Chapter 5: The Rescue

Greg: Okay, here's chapter 5. It should be a lot longer than the previous chapters, because… well I just felt like writing, is that a crime?

Brandon: Does anyone know who the two mysterious figures are in the flashbacks?

Greg: You have to be kidding? Right?

Brandon: No, I'm serious. I don't know who they are.

Greg: Read the story, from the beginning, again. Anyway, here's the chapter.

Disclaimer: I only own my characters and the worlds I create, nothing more.

* * *

_Greg's eyes opened wide, as he leaned off of the bed. He looked around the room, in a confused state. How did he get here? Who brought him home? He didn't remember coming home by himself._

_He grabbed his head, trying to remember what had happened earlier. Then, it all came back to him. "I remember being attacked by that guy… And then, Brandon showed up… After that, it's all blank…" Greg rubbed his head and leaned his legs off of the bed, placing them on the floor. "I wonder if Brandon is okay."_

_He slowly stood up, but was knocked back down by someone's hand. He quickly looked up, seeing a figure dressed in all black, again, standing in his room. "What're you doing here?" he asked, trying to ease his way off of the bed._

"_I witness your little 'incident' earlier today, with __**him**__. Your other half must be pretty strong, if he could stand up to __**him**__ like that." The figure laughed slightly. Greg noticed the 'girly' voice, and he instantly knew which cloaked figure he was talking to._

"_You're the girl from earlier, right?" Greg asked, as he stood up._

"_Yeah, that's right." She replied._

"_Thought so…" the young teen uttered. "So, what do you want now?"_

"_Hm?" the figure seemed confused a bit. "Oh, right, now I remember. I came to tell you that you must get on the boat leading to Destiny Island in two days."_

"_Oh really? All right then, where's the boat going to be at?" Greg asked._

"_The docks, at the edge of this state, duh!" the figure chuckled._

_There was an awkward silence between the two, before Greg broke it. "…What exactly are you trying to do?" he asked, staring into the dark hood, trying to find a face._

_The figure seemed to notice this, and turned away. "I… I think I'm trying to save your life…" she uttered softly, as if she wasn't sure herself._

"_What do you mean 'you think'?" Greg asked, scratching his head. He slowly approached the girl from behind, so that she couldn't see him. This was his chance to remove her hood._

_Suddenly, in a flash of light, a black key-shaped weapon appeared in her hand. It had five red colored spikes erecting from it, red tape wrapped around the grip of the sword-like weapon, and a black and red keychain with a twin star charm. She held the Keyblade out, between her and Greg, who was staring in awe._

"_I don't know myself… I may be falling into a trap, but I think I'm doing the right thing…" she uttered, lowering the key-shaped weapon to her side. "You must be ready for anything, Greg. You must be ready to face the darkness, in order to become stronger."_

_Greg blinked in confusion, and anger. "What the hell are you talking about!?" he shouted, now over the shock of the key-shaped sword. "First you summon some freaky sword thing, now you tell me some other random crap? I have no idea what you're going on about, and I doubt I'm going to take this stuff and use it."_

_The figure didn't reply for a moment. It seemed as if she was thinking about something. "You have a strong heart." She uttered. Greg could feel her smiling. "Make sure it stays that way." She turned, just as a purple vortex opened up behind her. "Until we meet again, __**Keybearer of Twilight**__."_

"_Wait!" Greg shouted. "You never told me your name!"_

_The figure stopped, just as she had put one foot in the portal. She turned back. "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you that right now… But I'll give you a hint." Again, Greg could feel her smile. "Starts with an 'R'." With that, she turned and disappeared into the portal._

"_Well, what another pleasant visit." Greg scratched the back of his head, as he watched the portal diminish. "Starts with a 'R'?" he repeated to himself._

* * *

On instinct, Greg stopped running, just in time to dodge the Lieutenant Colonel's steel weapon. The young Keybearer stepped aside, allowing the raven-haired swordsman to pass by. Jason brought his large sword, called a Buster Sword, forward. The large male brought up his mace, just in time to clash it with Jason's Buster Sword. The two weapons sent sparks flying in all directions. Jason leapt backwards, landing just a few feet away from the Lieutenant Colonel. Ganboia prepared to lunge at the raven-haired swordsman, but was cut off by the Keybearer. In shock of the Keybearer's sudden appear, again, Ganboia attacked with his mace. Greg blocks the attack with the Amulet of Promise Keyblade, but the force behind the attack sent him sliding across the ground, back toward Jason. 

"He's too strong." Jason murmured, gripping his Buster Sword tightly. He glanced over at the Keyblade Wielder. "Have any ideas?" he asked.

"Nope. This is my second time fighting with this thing." Greg glanced down at the Keyblade in his hand.

"I should've guessed as much." Jason replied, glaring at Ganboia. The Lieutenant Colonel was preparing to attack, once again. "Here he comes."

Greg prepared himself for another round, as did Jason. Just when Ganboia was about to attack, Jason appeared before him and blocked the attack. Greg used this chance to dash to the side and attack from the side. Ganboia was caught off guard, and the Keyblade cut deep into his skin.

"Ahhh!" The Lieutenant Colonel yelled in pain. He stumbled back, but caught himself before he fell. "You two work good together." He grinned.

"Humph, you're a waste of time." Jason muttered. His voice was calm, as if he knew he was stronger than the Lieutenant Colonel. But, it was probably a bluff. The raven-haired boy knew they were in a heap of trouble, but he didn't want to show it.

Ganboia frowned at that remark. "Fine. Come at me with everything you've got." He said, giving them another grin.

Greg and Jason wasted no time talking, and charged for the Lieutenant Colonel. Ganboia attacked quickly, hoping to land a hit on one of the boys. Greg shifted his body to the left, in order to dodge the mace, but the force behind the attack ripped through his clothes and into his skin. The Keybearer jumped back, just as Jason charged forward to attack. His Buster Sword met with Ganboia's mace, and sparks were sent flying, again. The two went head-to-head, with each delivering blow after blow. Finally, Jason jumped back, trying to make space between them.

"He's been… toying with us… this whole time…" Jason gasped between breaths.

"Yeah, I've noticed." Greg looked over at the raven-haired teen. "We can't get too close to him. Even if his attacks miss, the pressure behind it will hit us." Greg pointed to the cut in his left side, just below his ribcage.

"I see…" Jason replied. He was finally able to regain his stamina. "What's the plan now?" he asked, looking over at the Keybearer.

"Well, we've inflicted one wound this whole fight. Maybe, if we focus on that wound, we can take him down." Greg whispered to Jason. Jason nodded, understanding what he had to do.

"Is that all you two have to offer?" Ganboia asked, giving a slight chuckle.

"No, but you'll be wishing it was!" Greg shouted, charging at the Lieutenant Colonel again. Jason gripped his Buster Sword tightly and followed the Keyblade Wielder into battle.

Tami and Rebecca had taken cover behind a nearby building. They watched, and studied the battle from where they were. "Who is that guy in the cargo pants?" Tami asked, as she looked back at Rebecca.

Rebecca smiled. "That's boy is my older brother."

Tami's jaw dropped. She looked back at the boy, and then at Rebecca. The boy did resemble Rebecca, but only slightly. "Are… are you serious?" Tami asked.

"Yeah." Rebecca nodded, to confirm her answer. "His name is Jason, and he's pretty good with that sword of his.

"I can see that." Tami responded, as she watched Greg and Jason slightly overpower the bald man. "But… why didn't you tell us you had a brother?"

"Well, you never asked, did you?" Rebecca giggled.

"I guess not." Tami looked around, noticing that the fight was attracting a crowd. "…This fight is getting quite some attention." She whispered.

Rebecca's little head turned around, seeing a crowd of towns fold watching the battle. "They're attracting too much attention." She looked back towards the fight. "C'mon you two, end this so we can get out of here." She cheered.

Greg slid back, trying to catch himself before falling. That last attack Ganboia dealt sent the young Keybearer sliding across the ground. "This guy is too much. I must've gotten lucky when I delivered that wound to his side." Greg growled under his breath.

Jason's blade went forward, clashing with Ganboia's mace. "Why are you here, anyway?!" Jason shouted, pushing forward, trying to overpower Ganboia's mace.

"That's none of your business!" Ganboia yelled, as he pushed Jason's blade upward. Before the raven-haired swordsman could react, Ganboia forced his foot into the boy's stomach. The force of the kick sent Jason tumbling to the ground. "You two are nothing for me." He turned his gaze to Greg. "And you! You don't even know how to use the Keyblade's full power."

"_He's right. I have no idea how to use this thing!"_ Greg shouted in his mind. His eyes went back to Ganboia. _"This guy was too strong for us…"_

"**Let me take him then.**" Tony's voice uttered.

"_What? How? You're in my mind."_

"**If you let me take control of your body, then I'll be able to fight. Just close your eyes."**

"_Okay…" Greg closed his eyes, hoping this would work. When he reopened his eyes, he was in a grayish colored area. He looked down at his clothes. They were all white, again. "This place… I was here before…" looking around the area._

"_**Yeah, this is that area in your mind where we can talk."**__ Tony implied, as he appeared before Greg, sporting his all black clothing. __**"Anyway, just wait here, and I'll show this guy we mean business."**__ Greg nodded, giving his other half the permission to take control over his body._

"Hey, Greg?" Jason whispered to the Keybearer, as he lifted himself off of the ground.

Tony shook his head, releasing his mind back into reality, and looked around. His clothing was still Greg's original garments, and hadn't changed at all. He had taken full control over Greg's body, for the time being. He grinned, as he looked at the Lieutenant Colonel. "Alright, let's make this quick." He smirked. The Amulet of Promise vanished from his hand, only to be replaced by the Memories Past Keyblade.

"Another Keyblade?" Jason asked, in confusion. Tony nodded and began dashing forward, toward Ganboia. He quickly attacked Ganboia, but the Lieutenant Colonel blocked the attack. Tony followed the attack up with a side slash, which Ganboia blocked also. Ganboia went into a completely defensive position, waiting for Tony's attack. Just as Tony was about to attack, he vanished.

"What? Where'd he go?" The Lieutenant Colonel asked himself, as he searched the area. His eyes widened when he felt something sharp cut deeply, into his back. The cut sent a wave of pain rushing through his body, freezing it temporarily. He turned his head, unable to move his pained body, and looked at the person behind him. "You…" he muttered in pain.

Tony removed the Keyblade from the Lieutenant Colonel's back, and leapt backwards. He grinned at the wounded Lieutenant Colonel. "And you thought you could take _us_." Tony chuckled, as he placed the Keyblade over his shoulder. "You're all bark, and no bite." Tony smirked.

"Ahh, you little brat!" Ganboia growled. He winced in pain, as he turned to face the Keybearer. His mace began to slowly glow.

"_He must be preparing to unleash an attack, or something." _Greg's voice uttered.

Tony nodded, understanding his other half. He rushed the Lieutenant Colonel once again, unleashing a barrage of swings. Ganboia managed to block the attacks, but it seemed difficult due to his wounds. Again, Tony vanished from the man's sight. Gripping his mace tightly, Ganboia turned and swung the mace behind him. Tony, who had just reappeared behind the Lieutenant Colonel, blocked the attack with ease.

"Ha, you actually predicted my attack." Tony laughed, as he leapt back toward Jason. He landed just before the raven-haired teen, whom was planning to unleash an attack. Jason's Buster Sword was glowing an eerie blue, and was emitting a faint pulsation. "What are you doing?" Tony whispered to him.

"Just move when I say move, okay." Jason replied, gripping his sword's handle tightly.

"I'm finished playing with you kiddies!" Ganboia shouted, slamming his glowing mace onto the ground. The impact created a sharp force of energy, in which was directed toward Tony.

"Move now!" Jason shouted, as he lunged forward.

Tony leapt backwards, allowing Jason to come forward. The young raven-haired teen slammed his Buster Sword into the ground, creating another wave of energy. The two attacks collided, causing another huge explosion, which shook the ground.

"Are you still alive, Lieutenant Colonel?" Tony voice could be heard through the dust and debris. Tony could hear the Lieutenant Colonel curse under his breath.

"These kids are good. I'll have to tell General Ching about this." Ganboia stated, as his voice trailed off.

As the dust and debris settled, Ganboia was nowhere in sight. "Looks like he ran off." Jason muttered, picking his Buster Sword up off of the ground.

Before Greg knew it, he was back to controlling his body. **"Hey kid, thanks for letting my out for a bit, I really appreciate it."** Tony uttered.

"_It was no problem at all." _Greg thought in reply.

**"Remember, I can't always save your sorry butt, kid. You have to take up some serious training."** Tony chuckled.

"_I'll remember that." _Greg replied, with a slight laugh.

"Hey, Greg!" shouted Tami. Greg shook his head, coming back into reality. He looked around and saw Tami, motioning him to 'come on'. "Let's go! People are staring!" she shouted.

Greg looked around at the many faces that were looking at him and Jason. "Uh…how is everybody doing today?" he shouted to the people. He slowly made his way toward Tami and Rebecca. "Holy crap! What is that?!?!" he shouted, pointing into the sky. Just like he had predicted, the people looked in the direction he had pointed. After what the people had just witnessed, they'd probably believe anything. "Come on, Jason." Greg whispered, as he started running.

"Right behind you." Jason whispered, as he followed behind him.

"Don't worry, we're right behind you two!" Rebecca giggled, as she and Tami followed behind the two males.

Riku & Mickey…

The young, white haired teen leaned against an alleyway wall. He sighed heavily, and looked up at the cloudy sky. Where were his friends? He thought back to the night of the 'invasion'. How could he have let Kairi get kidnapped? How come he let Sora be so reckless, as to let him run into the portal?

Riku clenched his fists tightly, as the rain pounded down his face. He needed to find Sora, to make sure he was safe. And whenever he would find Sora, they would rescue Kairi together. But… where would he start looking? From what Mickey had explained to him, while running around this city, there were many other worlds that Sora could be on. He just happened to be on the one that Sora wasn't on.

Riku placed his hand on his forehead and sighed. "This is going to be harder than I thought." He muttered, wiping his wet bangs away from his eyes.

"What's wrong, Riku?" Mickey's voice asked. Riku looked down at the small creature, and the creature returned the look with a concerned face.

"It's just… I don't know where to start looking for Sora." Riku replied, wiping some rain droplets from his brow.

"Ah, I see." Mickey looked down at the wet concrete. He thought back to the story that Riku had told him, not too long ago. "Riku, you said Kairi was taken by a bunch of armored people, right?"

"Yeah…" Riku replied, seeing as the mouse didn't look up to see him nodding.

"Well, if that's the case, then Sora should be looking for those armored figures, just as you are." Mickey's eyes looked up at Riku. "You two _will_ see each other again. It's _destiny_."

"_Destiny_?" Riku repeated. Destiny? Was it destiny for Kairi to get kidnapped? Was it destiny for him to become a Keyblade Wielder? "I…don't understand…" he muttered.

"I don't expect you too." The mouse turned and looked out the alley. "A Keyblade is an object that can determine a person's destiny. But, obtaining a Keyblade is also destiny. You see, you have to have a _strong_ heart in order to wield a Keyblade." Mickey looked back at Riku. "_You_ have a strong heart, Riku, and your friends helped you develop it."

"…My friends?"

"Yes. The bonds you share with your friends, and the ability to have friends, is what strengthens your heart. There are many other things that do so, but this is one of the main sources. If you are a _true_ friend, the bonds you share with your friends can not be broken, because they are so strong." The creature's eyes seemed to travel up toward the sky. "And as long as you believe that you will see Sora again, then you will. Your heart is what really controls your destiny, it'll lead you to where you want to go."

"I think I understand now…" Riku replied. "As long as I believe, then everything will turn out alright." Mickey nodded, giving the Keybearer a warm smile.

"We better get going." Mickey looked out of the alley once again, and then glances back at Riku.

"Where are we going?" Riku asked.

"We have to find out where the Heartless are coming from. There should be a portal, in which they are being deposited from. If we can find the portal, we can leave this world and travel to another, using the Corridors of Darkness."

"Corridors of Darkness?"

"Yes. They are the pathways that Heartless use to get to different worlds. Its pretty dangerous taking Corridors of Darkness, but we don't have a choice." Mickey replied.

"Okay, I understand." Riku assured him.

"Alright, let's go." Mickey dashed off into the streets. Riku trailed behind him, hoping not to get lost.

Sora & Ravu…

"Ravu, can't we take a break? We've been walking for almost two hours!" Sora asked, as he dragged his feet through the open field.

Sora hadn't noticed it, due to his complaining, but he was following Ravu through a large field. The field was filled with all sorts of flowers. There were even a few apply trees, here and there, along with a small lake just a little ways away. The wind flowed freely through the open area, cooling the two Keybearers down, once they were hot.

"Sora, stop complaining. We have to get a Gummi ship." Ravu snapped back at him.

"But if we get ambushed by Heartless, I'll have no energy to fight." Sora uttered, as he plopped down onto the ground.

Ravu sighed and turned to the blue-eyed teen. "Fine…" she muttered, as she sat down on the grass.

For a moment, they sat in silence. Watching the bird's overhead, feeling the smooth breeze against their bodies. It was peaceful here. No Heartless, so far, or any other problems here.

"Sora?" Ravu broke the silence, as she looked over at the boy. Her voice sounded so soft.

Sora, who was lying on his back, leaned up to look at her. "Yeah?"

"What's it like… to have someone to care for?" she uttered.

Sora blinked, and then leaned all the way up. He looked at her, with a confused expression. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"I mean… you have Kairi to care for, as she has you to care for. I just want to know, what is it like to have someone that _special _to you?" Her voice was so soft, that Sora could barely hear what she was saying.

"Uh…well…" Sora was speechless. He scratched the back of his head. "You mean to say, that you don't have anyone to care for?" he asked, trying to avoid answering the previous question.

"No…" Ravu responded softly. Her words were filled with sadness.

"Well," he thought about something to say. "When you have someone that you care for, you feel that you must protect them, no matter what. That's how I'd describe it." Sora said, as he looked up at the sky. The sky was clear today, with no clouds in sight. _"Riku never had someone to care for, like I care for Kairi. I wonder if he feels the same way as Ravu…"_

"I wish I had someone like that…" Ravu uttered, as she brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "I never had anyone to care for…" he said, almost like a whisper.

Sora was completely speechless. What was he supposed to say? "…I'm… I'm sorry…" Sora uttered, as he looked at the grass beneath him.

"Don't worry about it…" she replied. Ravu sighed and thought of what was to come of the future. _"I can't let that happen to any of __them__…"_ she thought, as she stood up. If the _plan_ were going to be carried out, Sora and the other _two_ would surely die. She wasn't going to let that happen. Sora was a totally different Keybearer, from the tales she had heard about them.

Sora looked up at her, with a confused expression. "What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?" he asked.

"No," Ravu shook her head. "Let me ask you a question, Sora."

"Go ahead."

"Are you ready for the future?"

Sora's expression became even more confused looking. "What?"

"The future. Are you ready for it? Are you ready for the obstacles that lie ahead?" Ravu asked.

"…I guess…"

"Being a Keyblade Wielder is dangerous. There are many battles that lie ahead, that you're not ready for." She grinned and summoned her Keyblade. "But, I'm going to help you out with all that."

Sora stood up and blinked. "Huh? What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to train you. You have to become stronger, in order to save Kairi." Ravu entered an offensive stance. "Now, summon your Keyblade."

"_You have to become stronger, in order to save Kairi…"_ That sentence repeated itself in Sora's head. He outstretched his hand, and summoned his Kingdom Key. He entered his offensive stance. "In order to save Kairi." He repeated.

"That's right, Sora. Draw your power from you feelings for her!" Ravu shouted, as she lunged at the blue-eyed boy.

"For Kairi!!" Sora charged Ravu.

Rambosan Base, Section 18…

Colonel Bridges stood before several Rambosan officers. They were all given details of what was soon to happen, and they quickly reported to their assigned area, which was with Colonel Bridges.

"Alright, you all will guard our two prisoners, got it?" Olivia asked, in a cold tone.

"Ye-yes ma'am." Stuttered one of the officers.

"Good. Now, make sure no one comes down here, unless the have an I.D." she continued.

"Yes ma'am." Saluted another officer.

Olivia saluted, and then scurried off, up the stairs. She hadn't made it far, when she ran into three more officers. "Colonel Bridges! You are to report to the Command Room!" the soldier implied.

"Command Room?" Olivia asked. It then came to her. She was going to command a wave of soldiers in the attack. "Thank you, officer." She saluted and dashed off down the hall.

It took her ten minutes to reach the Command Room, where General Robert and Colonel Mandero were waiting. The room was filled with other low ranking officers, who were running the cameras and other equipment. "Sorry I'm late." She bowed her head slightly.

"Its quite alright." The General replied, as she turned her head toward the surveillance cameras. "It looks like there are five rebels, this time."

Olivia looked away from the General and at the camera. There were five people, approaching them. The one leading them had short, spiky blonde hair. Olivia turned to one of the low ranking officers. "Do we have any information on those five individuals?" she asked.

"Uh, no ma'am. We have no information on them." The officer replied, as he continued typing on the computer.

Olivia frowned, and turned her gaze toward the General. "General Robert, what actions shall we take?"

"Hm?" General Robert turned her head toward Olivia. "I have to head back to the main base. I'm leaving this operation in your hands."

"General Robert?"

"Don't worry. I'm sure you can handle this." The General smiled. She then saluted the others, and left the room, leaving Olivia speechless.

"So, boss, what should we do?" James asked, with a smile on his face.

"Oh!" Olivia snapped out of her thought. "Send any men, who are ready for battle, out to face them." She turned to James. "And you, Colonel Mandero, you will be out there commanding them."

"What? Me?" James asked, a little shocked by her answer.

"Yes, you. Now get out there and get rid of our rebel visitors." She grinned.

James smiled as a reply. "Alrighty! You're the boss!" he chuckled, as he left the room.

"Okay." Olivia turned to the other officers in the room. "Send out the message!"

Outside of the Rambosan Base…

Cloud frowned, upon seeing the many soldiers that awaited them. Besides that, the base was extremely large in size. And, along with the main building, there were several smaller buildings stationed around it. Cloud un-strapped his large sword, dubbed the Buster Blade V2, and went into an offensive stance.

"You guys ready?" Yuffie asked, as she brought out her large shuriken star.

"As ready as we'll ever be." Leon replied, as he drew his Gunblade, dubbed the Griever.

"Get ready." Vincent uttered calmly, as he deployed Cerberus, his three barreled gun.

More and more soldiers poured out into the open area, until it was completely filled. The soldiers deployed guns and swords, preparing themselves for battle. It was quiet for a moment, as the two sides faced off.

"Look, someone's stepping forward." Tifa whispered, as she pointed to the man standing away from the other soldiers.

"Alright soldiers! It's time to put these rebels in their place!" the Colonel shouted.

"Who does this guy think he is?" Leon asked, gripping his Gunblade tightly.

"Whoever he is, I'll take him out!" Yuffie shouted, with a smile.

"Now, attack!!!" shouted the man, as he pointed toward Cloud and the others. At his command, the soldiers marched forward, drawing their weapons into battle positions.

"I don't have time for this!" Cloud growled, as he charged forward. He was going to rip right through them, to find Aerith.

"That's the spirit, Cloud!" Yuffie shouted, as she followed him into battle. Leon, Tifa, and Vincent weren't far behind.

The two sides clashed together. Bullets were flying and swords were swung. The screams of wounded people filled the air, as the battle began. Though outnumbered, Cloud's team was doing quite well. Not one of them had any bruises, or wounds, so far.

Cloud leapt forward, bringing his Buster Blade V2 down on two soldiers. Afterward, he twirled on the heel of his boots, and cut down several more soldiers. _"I have to get to her…"_ he thought, as he brought up his sword to defend against another soldier.

Leon slid back, trying to catch himself before falling. He cursed under his breath, as the soldiers surrounded him. "Power!" he shouted. At that command, his Gunblade began to grow in size. With his newly powered weapon, he jumped into the crowd of soldiers. The power-up allowed him to create distance between him and the soldiers, which saved him a few scratches and cuts.

Yuffie jumped into the air, and landed gracefully on the ground. She then back flipped, just in time to evade a soldier's sword. Upon twirling in the air, she flung her oversized shuriken into the sea of soldiers. The shuriken sliced through the soldiers and then spiraled back to its owner, cutting down more soldiers in the process. "This is too easy!" she giggled, as she threw the shuriken again.

Vincent leaped back, onto one of the smaller buildings in the area, and then leapt into the air. He fired off nine rounds, taking out, roughly twenty soldiers. He spiraled onto the ground, unleashing more bullets, which pierced into the skin of several unlucky soldiers. He glanced back, just in time to witness a few soldiers firing off some rounds at him. He suddenly vanished into his red cloak, which reflected the bullets back at the soldiers. The soldiers stood in awe, as Vincent leapt out of the red scarf and fired off more bullets, piercing a few soldiers between the eyes.

- - -

An unlucky soldier flew back, into two more soldiers, after being attacked by Tifa. Having no weapon at her disposal attracted a lot of soldiers, which were sent crawling back after facing the fearsome woman.

She looked at the soldiers surrounding her, while bouncing around in a boxer's stance. "Anyone else want to try some?" she smirked.

Suddenly, more bullets were fired off. She leapt back, into the crowd of soldiers, and grabbed one as a shield. Bullets pierced into the human shield, hoping to pass through and hit the girl. Tifa then ran forward, slamming the human shield into three soldiers. She placed her feet on the soldier, the one she used as a shield, and ran off of his back. This sent her soaring into the air. She came down, punching a soldier beneath her. As her fist landed on the soldier, which knocked the soldier to the ground, the force behind her punch flowed into the ground beneath the soldier, creating a small earthquake. The small quake caused most of the soldiers to fall to the ground.

She stood up, brushing off her clothing. "Is that the best you all have to offer?" she grinned.

"Not quite…" a voice answered. Tifa turned toward the voice, only to see a well-dressed man holding a metal staff in his hands. The man had short, brown hair and a moustache. "You're a good fighter." He grinned, as he walked toward Tifa.

Tifa clenched her fist and jumped into her boxing stance. "Who are you?" she asked.

"I am Colonel James Mandero, of the Rambosan Army." He stated proudly. He gripped his staff with both of his hands, and entered an offensive position. "I am sorry, but I can not allow you into the base."

"Then I'll just have to go through you!" Tifa shouted, as she rushed forward. She threw her left fist, just for it to be blocked by James's staff. She clenched her right fist, and threw it forward, drilling the man in his stomach. James stumbled back, while Tifa lunged at him, continuing her assault. She delivered three punches, and then a kick to his face, sending him to the ground. Before hitting the ground, the Colonel forced his staff onto the surface, flinging himself into the air.

"Damn, she's good." James muttered, as he landed on the ground. Upon landing, he dashed forward and swings the right side of his staff. Tifa catches the staff with her left hand. She then uses the staff to pull the Colonel closer. She draws up her right fist, and forces it into his face. James stumbles back, but catches himself. He repeats the same attack, only to have Tifa grab the staff again. Before she could replay her last move, James uses the staff to spin his body and kick Tifa in the face, sending her to the ground.

Tifa jumps up, and readies herself for another round. "Lucky shot." She growled, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth. Unfortunately, James had a broken nose, busted lips, and probably two broken ribs.

James, for the most part, was in pain. He couldn't even breathe through his nose, and he couldn't feel his lips at all. He knew something was wrong when he witnessed the Rebels rip through his men like they were nothing. But, he couldn't abandon his duty.

"I will not let you pass!" he grunted, as he drew his staff. He readied himself, and then dashed at the young woman before him.

- - -

"Cloud!" shouted Yuffie, as she caught her shuriken in mid-air. She landed on the ground, next to the blonde. "We've got this area under control. How about you go and get Aerith."

"Are you sure?" he asked, as his blade sliced into a soldier's skin. He looked at Yuffie, who gave him a nod. "Do you know where she's being held?" he asked.

"She should be in the basement area. That's where the prison cells are." Yuffie brought up her shuriken and blocked some oncoming bullets. "Now, get going!" she yelled to him.

"…" Cloud dashed through the soldiers, cutting them down as he did. He was headed straight for the main base, which is where Aerith was being held. Cloud looked at the large, metallic door. "It'll take too long to cut through that…" he muttered to himself, as he looked around for another way inside. His eyes then caught a glimpse of a window, just above the main door, which probably led to the second floor. He jumped onto the wall, and then forced himself up with his sword, pulling it up as he did. He crashed through the window and landed onto the tile floor.

"Intruder!!" shouted a soldier, who witnessed Cloud's arrival. The soldier turned toward the hallway. "Signal the al-" he was cut off after Cloud's blade was forced into his abdomen.

Cloud looked down the hall. More soldiers were headed his way. "Damn…" he uttered, as he ran off in the opposite direction.

"Hey! We have an intruder! Pull the alarm!!" shouted one of the higher-ranking soldiers.

As Cloud rushed through the halls, a loud sound filled the building. It was the alarm system, which was bad. Not only was it bad, but also Cloud was pretty sure that they would withdraw some of the soldiers from the outside battle in order to track him down. But Cloud didn't stop to think. He continued running through the halls, hoping to find stairs that led to the lower level.

Kairi and Aerith…

The sound of the alarm entered the small room. The soldiers looked around and then looked at each other. "One of the Rebels must be inside." One soldier utters.

"Yeah, I believe so." Another soldier added.

Kairi turned her gaze to Aerith, who was rather worried. "Aerith, are the intruders the friends you were talking about?" she asked.

"Yes Kairi, they are. Soon, we'll be out of here." She looked down at the stone flooring. "I hope _he's_ alright…"

Kairi looked at Aerith with a confused stare. "Who's _he?_"

That question sparked up several memories of the man she was referring to. She smiled and looked over at Kairi. "He's just a really good friend of mine."

Kairi blinked at her, knowing this _person_ was more than just a good friend. Her gaze went from Aerith, to the stone floor she sat on. Sora was her _good friend_, as Aerith put it. That was all that she was thinking about, recently. "I wonder what _he's_ doing right now…" she mumbled, loud enough so that only Aerith could here.

"Who?" Aerith asked.

A smile graced Kairi's lips, without her knowing it. "He's _my_ good friend." Kairi couldn't see it, but Aerith smiled hearing that.

"I guess that's one thing we have in common." Aerith giggled. That was the last thing either of them had said, before everything went silent, except for the chatting of the soldiers.

Minutes later, a soldier rushed into the room. "He's coming!" he shouted.

This caught Aerith and Kairi's attention. Who exactly was coming? Was it the intruder, or someone completely different?

"Who's coming?" another soldier asked.

"The intruder! He's on his way down here!" the soldier looked back. His eyes grew wide, as he backed into the room with the other soldiers. "H-he's he-here…" he stuttered.

"Well, don't stand there! Get out there and take him out!" the leading soldier shouted. The others nodded, and left to take out the intruder, leaving the leading soldier alone.

Within seconds, the sounds of screams entered the prison room. The sound of a sword cutting into human flesh could be heard, drawing nearer. The leading officer backed up, against the wall as the screams died down. He drew his gun and waited for someone to walk into the room. He was clearly shaken up by the screams, because he was unable to hold the gun steady.

"Who do you think it is?" Kairi asked, as she attempted to back farther into the wall.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine." Aerith reassured her.

The door flung open, and Cloud walked into the room, holding his Buster Blade V2 at his side. As soon as he stepped into the room, the last remaining officer shot off several rounds. Cloud lunged forward, dodging and evading the bullets, and forced the tip of his sword into the soldier's stomach. The soldier spit up blood, and then fell limp. Cloud shook the soldier from the sword and gave a sigh.

"Are you okay?" he asked, looking over Aerith and Kairi. He leaned over and searched the corpse, hoping to find some keys to unlock the door.

"Yes, we're both fine." Aerith smiled, as she stood up. Kairi stood up beside her, just as Cloud had found the keys and was approaching the cell door. He quickly unlocked the door and unlocked Aerith and Kairi handcuffs. Surprisingly, Aerith wrapped her hands around the man's neck and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, Cloud."

Cloud's eyes widened, but only for a second. He was surprised by what she had just done. "You're welcome…" he muttered, as she leaned away from him. "Now, let's get going…" He turned and walked toward the door.

"But Cloud, Kairi here can't possibly keep up with us." Aerith grabbed Kairi's hand and led her over to Cloud.

Cloud sighed, and kneeled down. "Get on my back, kid." He grunted. As if protecting Aerith wasn't going to be hard enough. He had to carry some little girl too!

Kairi climbed on his back, without uttering a word. Aerith walked over to the corpse, and took the gun from its hands. "Okay, let's go." She walked back to Cloud and Kairi. The blonde nodded and led the way, still holding tightly to his Buster Blade V2. Aerith followed closely behind.

Leon and the others…

"Leon!" Yuffie shouted, just as Leon was finishing off a soldier. He turned his head toward her, waiting for what she was about to say. "Their numbers are decreasing!" she told him, as she ran up to him.

"Yeah, I've noticed…" Leon looked around, noticing that only one large group of soldiers were left. The group of soldiers seemed to have Tifa surrounded, as she fought with one of the high-ranking soldiers. Leon looks over at Vincent. "Vincent seems to have everything under control over there." Leon looked back at Tifa. "You and I will go and help Tifa out."

"Alrighty! Leon knows best!" Yuffie giggled, as she ran off toward Tifa and the other soldiers.

Leon sighed and followed behind her. "She's so annoying…" he muttered.

Yuffie looked back and frowned. "I heard that!" she shouted. She then leaped into the air and threw her shuriken at the horde of soldiers.

"Glad you did!"

- - -

Tifa somersaulted back, dodging the Colonel's staff. She stopped short, as a soldier attempted to wound her with his sword. The fight had become quite unfair. The crowd of soldiers made it difficult to inflict serious wounds on the Colonel, because they interfered. Hopefully, Leon and the others would see the position she was in, and come running to help.

"Stay out of this!" she shouted, as she kicked the soldier that attempted to wound her. She rushed into the crowd and grabbed the soldier. She began twirling him around, knocking out other soldiers as she did. She then flung the soldier at the Colonel.

James caught the soldier and placed him on the ground. "Nice try, but you'll have to do better than that." He chuckled.

Tifa did a spinning kick, knocking soldiers back. This gave her space away from the soldiers. She used this opportunity to rush at the Colonel. Unfortunately, more soldiers blocked her path. Just as she was about to attack them, a large shuriken came soaring down, cutting down the soldiers that blocked her path. Tifa looked toward the direction the shuriken was thrown from.

"Yuffie!" Tifa shouted, as a wave of relief wash over her body. "Thanks!"

"No problem, Tiff!" Yuffie smiled, as she jumped in the air and caught the shuriken, just to throw it again.

"Power!!" shouted Leon's voice. Tifa looked in the direction of the voice to see Leon charging a crowd of soldiers. Leon looked over at her. "Hurry up and finish him!" he shouted.

Tifa nodded, and then glared at the Colonel, who was commanding his men to attack the other 'Rebels'. While he wasn't looking, Tifa rushed him. He caught a quickly glimpse of her, and brought up his staff for defense. Instead of attacking him, Tifa grabs the staff and yanks it from his hands. She flings it to the ground and blocks the Colonel's fist. She drills him in the chest, which causes him to stumble back. Tifa placed her foot on his boot and grabbed his shirt with her left hand. She draws her right fist back, and then punches the Colonel in his face. She repeats this several times, leaving the Colonel on the brink of unconsciousness. She finishes it off by letting him go. Before he falls back, onto the ground, Tifa drills her foot into his chest, causing him so fall back a couple of yards.

"That'll teach you to mess with me." She smirked, as she straightened her clothes. She quickly turned around and punched another soldier, who was planning to strike her while she wasn't looking.

Yuffie jumped forward, kicking a soldier in his face. She tosses the shuriken as hard as she can, and watches it rip through more soldiers. But something different was among the wounded soldiers, something…black. "What the heck is that?" she asked herself, as she blindly caught her shuriken. At a closer inspection, she realized exactly what it was. She turned her head toward Leon, who was defending himself against four soldiers. "Leon, Tifa, we have trouble!" she called out.

Leon leapt back and looked over at Yuffie. "What're talking about?" he asked.

Tifa looked at Yuffie, just as she threw another soldier to the ground. "What is it?"

Yuffie looked back at the black creature, and then back at her comrades. "The Heartless… They're here…" she uttered softly, as if she was frightened by their appearance.

It was too low for Leon, or Tifa, to here, but they read her lips. The Heartless were now entering the battle, and what a great time to do it too. They looked around the field, at all the wounded and dead soldiers. The Heartless were hear for the solders' hearts, and for theirs too.

Leon sighed, and looked toward the building, in which Cloud was. "Hurry up…"

Greg & Tami…

Greg and the others had managed to avoid the citizens, for the time being. They were now at the Inn, hoping that no one saw them enter it.

Greg leaned back in the chair, and sighed heavily. He looked over at Tami and Rebecca who were sitting on the bed, quietly chatting about 'girl stuff'. His eyes then traveled to Jason, who was leaning against the wall, close to the window. The silence had end here, cause he couldn't take it.

"So…" Greg uttered breaking his streak of silence.

Tami and Rebecca looked over at him, with questioned looks. "What?" Rebecca asked.

Greg sighed again. "What are we doing here again?" he asked, referring to the Inn.

"Well, we don't want anyone asking us questions about what happened. So, we'll sit here until the commotion dies down." Tami replied.

"But that could take weeks." He sighed, and leaned his head back, looking up at the ceiling. He wasn't supposed to be sitting here; he was supposed to be looking for his friends. He was supposed to be fulfilling his _destiny_, but he was sitting here, doing absolutely 'nothing'.

He leaned forward and stood up, heading for the door. This caught Tami's attention, and she turned to him. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"To find a ship so I can start looking for Sora and the others." He answered, as he reached for the doorknob.

Suddenly, the door flung open, hitting Greg in the face. Greg fell back and hit his head on the floor, followed by an 'Owwww!' In the doorway were two figures, one a duck, the other a dog. The duck wore a blue vest, consisting to many zippers, and a blue hat to match. In his hand he held a staff, which contain a magician's hat on top. The dog wore a green sweater underneath a black vest, along with orange pants, brown shoes, and an orange hat. He held a shield in his hand.

"Who the heck are you?" Greg looked up at the two figures, as he rubbed the back of his head and his nose.

The duck looked down at Greg. "This must be the Keyblade Wielder." He uttered, looking back at the dog.

"I think so, Donald." The dog uttered, as he pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket. His eyes went back and forth, from the paper and Greg. "A dark blue zipper hoodie, baggy shorts, with red and blue shoes." The dog looked up at the duck, seemingly named Donald. "Yep, that's him."

"That's good." Donald said, with a sigh of relief. "I didn't feel like looking for him."

Greg slowly climbed to his feet, still rubbing his head and face. "Who are heck are you two?" he asked again, sounding a bit… angry.

"Yeah, you don't barge into rooms like that, you know?!" Tami shouted, as she walked over to Greg.

"Excuse us!" Donald shouted in retort.

"Calm down, Donald. They're right, we shoulda knocked first." The dog placed a hand on his companion's shoulder. "My names Goofy." He introduced himself. He then pointed at the duck. "And this here is Donald."

"It's nice to meet you!" Rebecca smiled brightly, as she shook their hands. "My name is Rebecca Thomas."

"I'm Tami Bridges." Tami added, bowing slightly. "Sorry for the way I acted just now."

"It's okay." Goofy chuckled. "Donald acts like that all the time." Donald grunted something and then turned away.

"And I'm Greg Thomas." Greg introduced himself, as he shook Goofy's hand.

"It's nice to meet you all." Goofy chuckled, shaking Greg's hand.

Jason, who had been listening from where he was standing, walked over to the others. "Goofy, Donald." He uttered, as he looked at the both of them.

"Sir Jason?" Donald replied, as he looked up at the raven-haired boy. "So, you were the one who helped the Keyblade Wielder."

"That's right."

Greg looked at the two of them, with a confused glance. "Uh… Jason… How do you know these two?" he asked.

Jason smirked, and looked over at the Keybearer. "They're fellow knights."

"That's right." Goofy added. "The three of us are Royal Knights, in King Mickey's army."

"Oh… I see." Greg muttered, scratching his head.

"Anyway, we've been sent here to bring you to Queen Minnie." Donald implied.

"Queen Minnie, eh?" Jason uttered. "I'm guessing she wants to meet the Keyblade Wielder?" Donald and Goofy nod their heads. "We better go then."

"But only you and the Keybearer were asked to come, so the females will have to wait here." Donald glances over at Tami and Rebecca.

"But…" Rebecca looks at the ground. "That's not fair…"

"Why can't we come?" Tami asks.

"Sorry, Queen's rules."

Greg couldn't just leave Tami and Rebecca here, alone. What if the bald guy returned, to get some revenge or something? He would definitely hurt the two of them. Either they came with him and Jason, or Greg wouldn't go at all. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going anywhere without Tami and Rebecca." Greg crossed his arms.

"Greg…" Tami uttered, as she looked over at the Keyblade Wielder.

"Yeah, that's right. We're a team!" Rebecca shouted, which earned her a confused look from Tami.

"A… team?" Tami repeated. She looked over at Greg, nodded his head. She glanced back at Rebecca and smiled. "I guess we are."

"And since we're a team," Greg's eyes went back to Donald. "Where ever I go, they go."

Donald glared up and the boy. "Oh, you're coming with us, whether you like it or not!" he started to approach the Keybearer.

"Donald, let'em tag along." Goofy suggested.

"No Goofy, the Queen gave us specific orders!" Donald shouted, as he continued his approach on the Keybearer.

"So, you're going to try force?" Greg asked, as he extending his right hand outward. "Then, I must be allowed to defend myself." He smiled, as the Amulet of Promise appeared in his hand.

Seeing the Keyblade stopped Donald in his tracks. "The… Keyblade…" he uttered. Donald gave a big sigh, knowing he was defeated. "Fine, they can come."

In a flash of light, the Keyblade diminished from Greg's hand, and Greg gave a sigh. He wasn't fully able to call the Keyblade on his own, but he got lucky this time. "Alright, lead the way." He muttered.

"Follow me." Donald turned, and walked out the door. Greg, Tami, Rebecca, Jason, and Goofy followed him out.

Sora & Ravu…

Sora tumbles back, dropping the Kingdom Key. "Dang, she's good…" he utters to himself.

"Aww, c'mon Sora. I know you're better than that." Ravu chuckled, as she placed her Keyblade over her shoulder. "Now, summon back your Keyblade."

Sora cursed under his breath, and called back the Keyblade. "All right, let's continue." He muttered.

"Not so fast, Sora." She waved her index finger in the air. "I have to tell you something, that should come in handy one day soon."

"What?"

"Well, first thing you should know is that the Keyblades hold special powers. Unfortunately, you haven't mastered your Keyblade's powers, but they'll come to you eventually.

Sora blinked. What the heck was she talking about? Keyblades having special powers… like what? "Uh… can you demonstrate?" he asked, as he looked at his Keyblade and then at Ravu.

Ravu smiled. "Sure." She held her Keyblade out in front of her, and grasped it with both hands. "Now, watch carefully." She grinned. Her Keyblade slowly began to draw forth, a purple energy, which transformed into a purple orb of energy.

Sora stared, in awe. He wasn't sure he was seeing it right, but he was. "How'd you…? What is that?" he asked.

"It's a dark energy orb." She replied. "I use them for attacking opponents." She then fired the orb off like a gun, into the air. The two Keyblade Wielders watched the orb diminish into the air. "That's one of my Keyblade's basic abilities." She uttered, as she looked over at the spiky haired boy.

"Does my Keyblade have that kind of power?" Sora asked.

"It depends… but telling you what it depends on wouldn't be any fun. I want you to figure it out yourself."

"Oh… alright then…" Sora uttered.

"Maybe I'll teach you a thing, or two, in the near future." Ravu grinned, as she went into an offensive position. "But first, you have show me what you can do with that Keyblade of yours."

"Fine, but if I beat you, you have to teach me how to summon the power of my Keyblade." Sora chuckled, as he went into an offensive position.

"It's a deal." Ravu replied, as she rushed the spiky haired Keybearer.

Riku & Mickey…

"Well, that's the portal leading to the Corridors of Darkness." Mickey implied, as he looked down at the Heartless from the roof of a nearby building.

Riku, who was kneeling next to the mouse, looked down at the portal. It was completely surrounded by the Heartless. How were they supposed to get inside, without getting attack? And if they did make it inside the portal, weren't the Heartless going to give chase? Where were they supposed to go, after getting inside?

The white haired teen looked over at the mouse. "Uh, Mickey, how exactly are we supposed to get inside the portal?" he asked, and then sneezed. Being out in this rain was making him really sick.

"…" Mickey didn't reply. It seemed, to Riku, that he was thinking of a plan. Riku had done enough waiting, so decided to interrupt the mouse.

"Mickey?" Riku whispered.

Mickey turned his gaze to the young teen beside him, giving him a stern look. "We go right through them."

"Right through?" Riku's eyes widened. "Are you trying to get us killed?!"

Mickey shook his head as a response. "No, but it's the only way."

Riku sighed, which was followed up by another sneeze, and stood up. "So, we just bust down there and fight until we reach the portal?" Mickey gave him a nod, and summoned his Keyblade. "Let's get going then." Riku extended his hand and summoned his Soul Eater.

"We'll have to stick together, so stay close." Mickey implied, as he leapt from the building and into the ocean of Heartless. Riku gave another sneeze, and followed him into the horde of black creatures.

Inside the Section 18 Rambosan Base…

A Rambosan soldier dashed around the corner and down the hall, heading straight for his squadron. He slowly came to a stop, when he came face to face with Colonel Bridges. The Colonel was leading his squadron in a last ditch effort to stop the Rebels.

"Soldier!" she shouted, getting his attention. "Where are the Rebels?"

The soldier placed one hand on the wall, in order to help him keep his balance. "They're coming… this… way…" he panted.

Olivia sighed, as she reached into her white trench coat and pulled out two sai daggers. "Looks like I'm going to have to dirty my hands." She uttered, as she twirled the sai daggers around.

- - -

Aerith cut her head around the corner, and quickly looked back. "They're waiting for us." She told Cloud, who still had Kairi hanging onto his back.

"What do we do?" Kairi asked, looking down at Cloud, and then at Aerith.

Cloud sighed and peeked his eye around the corner. "I'll just have to take them out." He uttered, as he looked back at Aerith.

"If it's the on-" Aerith stopped talking when she heard the words of a soldier. Kairi started to say something, only to have Aerith shush her. "Listen…" she whispered.

The trio leaned out as far as they could, without being seen, to listen to the soldier.

- - -

"So, you're telling me that the Heartless have appeared?" Olivia asked, placing the sai daggers back in their holders.

"Yes ma'am! Also, the Rebels clearly have the upper hand on the battlefield." The soldier implied.

Olivia cursed under her breath, and then looked at the squadron of soldiers that stood, waiting for her command. "Get your butts out there and get our fellow soldiers back inside!" she shouted to them.

"Yes ma'am!" shouted the leading soldier. The squadron turned and sprinted down the hall, away from Cloud and the others.

"This just keeps getting better and better…" Olivia muttered sarcastically, as she followed the squadron down the hall.

- - -

"Okay, let's go." Cloud commanded, as he sprinted off with Kairi on his back. Aerith struggled, but managed to keep up with him.

The trio sprinted through the halls, until they found the front exits of the base. The scurried to the large doors, which were already opened, but stopped short when they saw the Heartless.

"Oh no!" Aerith shouted, as she covered her mouth with her hand.

Cloud frowned and gripped his Buster Blade V2 tightly. "We'll have to go right through them…" he uttered, as he walked forward, preparing to fight the Heartless.

Aerith stayed back for a minute, as she began taking deep breaths. She tightened her grip around the gun's handle, and scurried off after Cloud and Kairi.

* * *

Greg: Finally, I brought Donald and Goofy in!! Along with JT, Rebecca's older brother!! And Mickey and Riku are finally getting out of… that place! Lol! 

Brandon: I didn't have a part…

Greg: I have a question for my readers, okay? Here it is: Who do you think the mysterious figures are in the flashbacks?

Brandon: Where's my part??

Greg: And sorry for putting so much detail into Tifa's part, but… she kicks ass. She has no weapons, and still kicks ass! Anyway, I need a name for Ravu's Keyblade. It was described in Chapter 3: Two Halves. So, if you have any names, let me know!!! Read and Review after your readings, please.

Brandon: My part…


	7. Arc 1: Chapter 6: Fighting With The Wind

Greg: Oh my! I'm soooo sorry for the late update! It's been over a month!!

Brandon: Yeah, you should be sorry. I had to wait a month to get in!

Greg: Okay, well here's chapter 6!

* * *

Chapter 6: Fighting With the Wind

* * *

_"G---! Come here!" shouted a man, who was sitting in one of the chairs in the room. The room was filled with pictures of the man's family, but mostly with pictures of two boys and a girl._

_The man had medium length black hair, and a goatee. He was the casual clothes; a pair of pants and a button up shirt._

_A small boy, no older than six, came running into the room. He wore a red shirt with blue shorts and black shoes, along with short, black hair._

_"Yes Dad?" the small boy asked. In the boy's hand was a wooden sword, which he held on to tightly._

_"Where is your sister?" the man asked._

_"Uh, well… She's in her room, with mom, I think." The boy answered._

_"I see. And where is your little brother?"_

_"He's outside, waiting for me. We were sword fighting." The boy replied._

_"Sword fighting, eh?" he man chuckled, and stood from his seat. "Why don't you let your old man show you two how it's done?"_

_"Really dad?!" the boy asked, as he jumped up and down. The man nodded, and smiled at the boy before him, his son._

_"Yes, G---" the man replied, as he picked up his son and left the room. The scenery began to blur and fade into darkness._

_That was when Greg's eyes flew open. He leaned off of the bed and wiped the cold sweat drops from his forehead. "It was only a dream." He told himself. "But it seemed so familiar… Like déjà vu." He muttered, as he looked out the window._

* * *

Destiny Islands…

Since Greg and the others were on different planets, the days went by faster on Destiny Islands. Nearly a week has passed since Sora, Riku, Greg and Tami had left the islands. Everyone was still trying to adjust to the drastic change. Unfortunately, Brandon wasn't making any progress. He wanted so badly to go and help the others, and he was becoming rather angry that he was stuck on this _'prison surrounded by water'_.

He sat on the far side of the island, alone. He didn't want to speak or see anyone at the moment. He just sat there in the sand, staring off into the distance, as if he was in a trance. He couldn't shake the feeling that he didn't belong here, or at least he didn't belong here at the moment. He believed that he needed to go out and help the others. It wasn't his thing to just sit here and doing nothing, it would be boring. Greg had followed his heart. Sora, Riku and Tami did the same, but he pushed his heart away when they had listen to theirs.

But who's to say that Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka didn't push their hearts away as well? They seemed bother about the others leaving also, but Brandon seemed the most bothered by it. He should have listened to his heart and went with the others.

"Brandon!!" shouted an all too familiar voice, forcing Brandon out of his thoughts. On instinct, he turned to see who was calling him. In the distance, running down the shoreline, was an all too familiar girl, Selphie. She gave a wave of her hand when she noticed she had gotten his attention.

"What's up?" Brandon asked when Selphie was just feet away from him. Why was she so obsessed with him? Ever since the others had left on their little adventure, she had been hanging out with him. Brandon just thought it was because Kairi wasn't around, and neither was Tami.

"Nothing much! Just wanted to hang with you for awhile!" she muttered in her usual cheery tone and sat down beside him. She gave him a smile, in which he tried to return, but it came out more like a 'What are you doing?' facial expression.

"So, what's new?" Brandon asked, trying to get a conversation started before she started rambling about hair products and other girl stuff.

"Uh, well." She put a finger on her chin, obviously trying to think. "Well, there's a little party going on tonight."

Brandon knew she wanted him to go with her, basically being her date. "Cool, where's it being held?"

"A friend of mine is throwing it." Selphie answered. She began fiddling with her hair. "So, would you like to come with me? Tidus and Wakka are too wrapped up in their blitzball practice." She glanced nervously over to Brandon.

"Yeah. I'll go out with you." Brandon muttered, not realizing what he had said. Unfortunately, Selphie began giggling, which made him think of reasons of why she was doing that. He then re-thought what he had said. "Uh, no!! I meant I would come with you to the party!! I don't like you like that!! Wait, I mean, I do, and well…" he began rambling.

Selphie shushed him before he could continue. "It's okay." She tried to keep herself from giggling. "I know what you meant." She then stood up and brushed herself off. "Now, come on. We should get there early."

Brandon got to his feet and brushed himself off as well. "Okay, let's go." Selphie nodded, and began walking off. She was walking rather slowly, as if she wanted to take it slow. Brandon caught on to what she was trying to do. He figured she just wanted to be with him for today. Besides, she did say the party was tonight, and it was clearly around 2 o'clock in the evening. "This is going to be a long walk." He uttered to himself as he walked up beside her.

Riku and Mickey…

"Darn it!" Riku growled, blocking the attack of one of the many Heartless. He ducked down and tripped several of the Heartless, then struck them down with his Soul Eater. But as soon as they vanished, more Heartless appeared. "They just keep coming!" Riku yelled out to Mickey, who was only feet away from him.

"I know, Riku, but we have to keep fighting until we reach the portal!" Mickey called back, as he swiped his Keyblade through several Heartless, causing them to diminish into the air. Mickey jumped backwards, narrowly avoiding the attacks of a Heartless. While in the air, he flung his Keyblade at the Heartless. The Keyblade spun through the air, just like a boomerang. Before he called it back, it had already cut through six or seven Heartless. "Riku, let's keep moving!" Mickey called out, as he landed on the ground. "If you waste your time with these Shadow Heartless, then you won't have enough strength to take on the more powerful ones!"

Riku's jaw nearly fell to the ground when he heard the words 'the more powerful ones', but instead, he sneezed and gave the mouse a nod. With that, Riku made his way through the weaker Heartless and over to Mickey. "Okay, where are the stronger Heartless at?" Riku asked, while slashing at the Shadow Heartless.

"Over near the portal." Mickey replied, as he swiped another Shadow away. Riku turned his head, only for a moment, to get a glimpse of what Mickey was talking about. Near the portal were three types of Heartless he hadn't seen before. One wore a silver helmet and made a 'clanking' noise when they moved. Another type had wings and wore a pair of goggles, which is attached to a flying cap. The last type seemed the most interesting. It was large and round, and looked down right dumb.

"Are they really Heartless?" Riku asked, evading the attacks of the lesser Heartless.

"Yes. The ones in the helmet are known as Soldiers, the flying ones is an Air Soldiers, and the large ones are known as Large Bodies." Mickey stepped back, avoiding more of the fidgeting claws. "We have to get to that portal." With that, Mickey rushed off toward the portal.

"Hey! Wait for-" Riku was unable to finish his sentence because he sneezed instead. Riku shook off the weird feeling of sneezing, and dashed off after Mickey.

Mickey wasted no time and started attacking the stronger Heartless, slowly making his way toward the portal. Riku watched, in amazement, as Mickey defeated the Heartless, without much of a fight. "Riku, let's get a move on." Mickey murmured, as the lesser Heartless began to make a move on him. Riku nodded and hurried to the mouse.

Riku took one more glance back at the Heartless infested city. He turned back to Mickey. They were right before the portal. "Okay, Riku, let's go." Mickey took a hold of Riku's hand and led him into the portal. Riku got one more glance of the city, before everything went dark.

Cloud, Kairi, and Aerith…

Cloud's Buster Blade sliced through the crowd of Heartless, cutting down any that stood in its way. Aerith stayed close to the blonde, casting Curaga to keep him energized. Though she didn't miss the opportunities to throw some spells, like Firaga and Blizzaga, at the Heartless. While Cloud and Aerith made their way slowly through the crowds of black, Kairi hung onto the blonde's back with all of her might.

"Cloud, we can't fight them all! There are too many!" Aerith called out, as she fired a few rounds out of the pistol.

Cloud growled and pushed back some of the Heartless. He turned his head slightly, to look at Kairi. "Hold on, kid." He uttered. Kairi nodded in response, and Cloud rushed forward, leaping into the air. He came down, slamming his Buster Blade onto the earth. As a result, a shockwave of energy, that looked like energy waves eating up the ground, soared into the Heartless horde, ripping through the darkness.

Cloud looked back at Aerith. "C'mon, I've stunned them temporarily. Now's our chance to run." Aerith gave a nod and followed Cloud down the path he had just created. But soon, the Heartless recovered and surrounded the three once again.

- - -

Leon muttered some incoherent words of anger and slashed away a few Heartless. Out the corner of his eye, he witnessed Cloud's attack. Turning to Yuffie and Tifa, he shouted, "Cloud's finally out of the base!!

Tifa looked around, watching the Heartless battle with some of the soldiers. Finally, she caught a glimpse of the blonde, along with Aerith and a young girl. "There's someone else with him!" Tifa implied, as she swung an attacking Heartless in a soldier. "Should we help?"

"Vincent is over there somewhere, he can help!" Yuffie replied, as she leapt into the air and caught her large shuriken. Before landing back on the ground, she flung the shuriken back into the crowd of Heartless. "Besides, we have our hands full right now!" Yuffie shouted.

Tifa didn't like the thought of living Cloud to defend two people. Sure, Cloud could handle himself quite well, but when defending more than one person, he had a little trouble. But, as long as Vincent was near them, he'd be all right. Still, she didn't like the idea of living him to defend others.

Tifa decided that Vincent would be able to help them out. She turned and smacked a couple of Heartless around before glancing back at the blonde once again. They were slowly making an advance toward the edge of the Courtyard.

- - -

Cloud brought his Buster Blade downward, crushing the Heartless that were in its path. He then, spun on his heels, cutting down more Heartless. Just as the Heartless diminished, more appeared in their spots. It was beginning to become quite annoying for him.

"Cloud!" Aerith's voice rang in Cloud's ears. He spun around quickly, nearly forgetting about Kairi, who was still holding on for dear life. Time seemed to slow down, as Cloud watched a horde of Heartless prepare to lunge onto Aerith. He called out her name, but his voice was silent. Kairi watched in horror, as the Heartless grew closer and closer to the young women.

Just before the Heartless were on her, several bullets pierced through the creatures of darkness, causing them to diminish. Cloud quickly ran over to Aerith, making sure she was all right.

"Are you okay?" he asked, as he watched the Heartless stand down for some reason.

"Yes." Aerith replied. Her eyes traveled up to the sky. "Thank you, Vincent."

Vincent landed before the trio, with his pistol at his side. "Anytime." He replied, as he looked at the Heartless. The creatures of darkness began to approach them again. "Come, we have to go." With that, Vincent began making his way toward the edge of the Courtyard. Cloud gave him a nod and hurried behind him, with Aerith not far behind.

The four of them made their way through the hordes of Heartless. It had taken half an hour before they had reached Tifa and the others, and they looked as if they hadn't moved from their positions since they had arrived.

"Finally." Said Tifa, as she gave a sigh of relief. "Now that everyone's here, lets get going."

"Agreed." Leon took one more glance around. "Most of the Heartless are heading toward the soldiers. We should be able to make it out of here without too much trouble."

"Right." Tifa nodded, and began running toward the edge of the courtyard. Without warning, more Heartless popped up. But these Heartless were different, they were stronger. "Looks like we're going to fight to get out!" Tifa called back.

"It looks that way…" Cloud implied, walked up beside Tifa, and followed by Aerith. "We'll just have to cut them down." He uttered.

"As long as more don't show up, we should be able to get out pretty fast." Leon drew his Gunblade. "But just to make sure, let's give it our all."

"Of course! Nothing but the best from Yuffie!" Yuffie shouted, as she flung her large shuriken into the Heartless. With that, everyone charged in, weapons drawn.

Sora and Ravu…

"Sora, come on! I know you can do better than that! How are you ever going to save Kairi?" Ravu smirked, as she watched Sora stagger off of the ground. "At a boy."

"_She's toying with me!"_ Sora glared at the girl before him, and gripped his Keyblade tightly. Why wasn't he able to keep up with her? He was stronger than her; therefore he should be able to beat her, or so he thought. Ravu wasn't like the girls back on the island. She had speed, accuracy, she was able to defend herself easily, and she swung that Keyblade like a grown man. At this point, Sora knew she was able to best his friend, Riku.

"Are you just going to sit there, and stare at me all day?" Ravu grinned, and got in an offensive position. "Or are you going to show me what you can do with that blade of yours?"

Sora growled and lunged forward, trying to swing his blade with as much force as he could. Ravu continuously grinned, and evaded the attack easily. She then shifted her body to the right and pounded her Keyblade into Sora's side. Sora stumbled back, but caught himself before he fell.

"Don't put so much power into one swing. It'll take time to recover if you do, leaving yourself wide-open for an attack." Ravu implied, as she rushed the spiky haired teen. Instead of swinging the blade, Ravu used a thrust move, a move she had yet to use on Sora. Sora dodged rolled to the side, narrowly missing the blade by an inch. As he recovered, Ravu used the same move again. This time, Sora curved his body to the right and evaded the attack.

"I wouldn't keep using that move if I were you. You're completely missing." Sora chuckled, as he jumped back.

Ravu sighed, as Sora had learned nothing. She placed her Keyblade over her shoulder. "Sora, that move is very important."

Sora gave a confused looked and asked, "How so?"

"Well, the Thrust techniques require a lot of speed and a great deal of accuracy. Using the attack causes sharp air currents around the blade, which cause damage, even if the attack misses." Ravu points a finger at Sora's left side. Sora looked down and stared at the rip in his clothing. He lifted his shirt to see a shallow cut, about the size of a paper clip.

"What the…?" he muttered, and looked back at Ravu.

"That was one of the weaker thrust moves. If I would have went full force on you, you would have suffered a severe injury." She implied. Sora gulped and looked at the shallow wound again. This chick was definitely better than Riku.

Sora took a firm grip around the Kingdom Key, and charged the girl. He shifted his position and used a quick thrust move. Unfortunately, Ravu used her Keyblade to push the attack away from her. She jumped forward and forced her foot into Sora's chest, causing the to fly backwards onto the ground.

"Darn it…" he muttered under his breath, as he got back to his feet. He rushed forward, and used the thrust move a second time. Ravu didn't bother blocking it, instead, she moved aside. The thrust wasn't strong enough to cause any sort of damage to her.

"More power, Sora. Use more strength, and you'll get it." Ravu said. Sora growled and lunged at her again, using another thrust move, but it was slowly than the other attempts. "Too slow and weak, Sora." Ravu grinned, as she moved to the side to dodge it. Sora grinned and swung the Keyblade, with all of his might, into Ravu's side. Ravu, wide-eyed, soared through the air, about several feet, and landed on the ground. Her Keyblade landed a little ways away from her.

"You should really pay attention more, Ravu. My last thrust was rather slow, which meant I had another plan in mind." Sora smirked.

Ravu shook her head, trying to focus on the battle and not the pain in her side, and stood up. "Bravo, Sora. That was a nice move you pulled there." She brushed herself off and summoned her Keyblade back to her hand. "I see now that I've been going too soft on you." She grinned, as she charged the boy.

Without a word of response, Sora charged Ravu as well. Their blades clashed, creating sparks. The force behind the collision pushed the two of them back. Sora was the first to recover, and rushed Ravu again. Using her speed, Ravu dodged all of Sora's incoming attacks. During Sora's rampage, she deflected the attack, knocking Sora off balance. She then slammed her Keyblade into his stomach, forcing him back. Sora caught himself before he hit the ground.

"Play time is over, Sora." She chuckled, as pointed the tip of her Keyblade at the boy.

Greg and the others…

"So, your King has gone missing?" Greg asked, as he followed Donald and Goofy through the destroyed gate. Tami and Rebecca followed close behind the Keybearer, while Jason kept his distance.

"That's right. The only thing he left was a letter that stated that he was going to find '_those who wield the Keys_'" Donald replied.

"We believe he meant you." Goofy added, as he glanced back at the brown-eyed teen.

"For me?" Greg thought back to what Donald had just said. The King was looking for the ones whom wielded the Keyblades. Surely enough, this King was looking for him. There was no doubt about that. But, that also meant that the King was looking for Sora and Riku also.

"Yeah, for you. But the King's words in the letter stated that there was more than just one who wielded Keyblades." Donald stopped where he was and looked back at Greg. "Do you know of any others who have the power of a Keyblade?" His eyes went back and forth between Greg and the others.

"We do, but…" Tami looked down at the ground. "We don't know where they are now."

"What?!" Donald shouted, as if someone had just died. "What do you mean 'you don't know where they are now'?" he asked.

"She means exactly what she said." Greg said, stepped forward. "And that's why we're here; to find our friends."

Donald started to ask Greg what happen before, but Jason intervened. "Look, we don't have time for story time. We're expected inside." He muttered, as he walked into the castle.

"He's right. Let's hurry to the meeting room." Donald quacked, as he ran into the castle.

"Ya better hurry!" Goofy shouted, as he followed his feathery companion.

"Wait up!" Rebecca shouted, as she grabbed Greg and Tami's hands, pulling them with her into the castle.

Inside, the castle seemed extremely larger than what they had seen outside. The clean white walls were decorated with pictures of two mice, a King and Queen, seemingly belonging to royalty. A red carpet, which was decorated with a symbol of the royal mouse King, covered the floor. Unfortunately, the floor was also crowded. Weird, inanimate objects scurried down the halls. Walking brooms, that seemed to be maids of some sort, trudged down one hall, carrying buckets of water along with them. Also, well-dressed animals were mixed in with the brooms. There were cows, chickens, dogs, ducks, mice, and horses, which were all dressed like humans.

"Uh…" was all that came out of Greg's mouth when he saw the crowds of animals and brooms covering the halls. His jaw literally fell open at the sight.

"Yes, weird, isn't it?" Jason joked, as he continued moving forward.

"Wow, your kingdom is run by animals?" Tami asked, turning to Rebecca for an answer.

"Sure is!" Rebecca smiled proudly. "But don't get it wrong, our King, and the animals in the castle, are far from what you think. They even talk!" Rebecca giggled, but she was sure that they already knew that, because Donald and Goofy were talking to them.

"That's right. King Mickey is a great king. He's always looking out for the kingdom." Donald implied.

"I hope so. Besides, isn't that what a King's supposed to do?" Greg asked. He had got over his little shock after he had took it all in. A kingdom ruled by a mouse? Weird… "Anyway," Greg began, not giving Donald time to respond. "Let's not keep the Queen waiting. She's probably got a bad temper." Greg laughed and walked forward.

"Oh no, it's not the Queen with the temper. Is the lady in waiting who needs anger management." Rebecca laughed.

"What!?!?" Donald shouted in anger, after realizing what Rebecca had just said. "How dare you talk about Daisy that way!?" he shouted, as he ran after the young girl. Before he caught her, he tripped over his feet and fell to the ground.

Rebecca just laughed and ran off into the crowd, along with Greg and Tami, who laughed in Donald's face after he had fell on his face. But, Greg's karma just had to suck, because moments after he laughed at Donald, he himself fell flat onto his face.

"Serves you right!" Donald pouted, as he continued his way down the hall. This time, he was much more careful and tried to keep his eyes on his webbed feet.

"Serves you right." Greg mimicked the duck in an irritating voice. "Why I outta-" but he was cut off before he could continue.

"Will you just come on!" Tami growled at him, as she grabbed his arm and dragged him down the hall.

Moments later, they arrived on the second floor. Seeing as Goofy had disappeared moments ago, they saw him standing beside one of the doors. He caught a glimpse of the others and waved them over.

"Would ya hurry up? The Queen's waitin' for ya." He muttered. "She's right in here." He pointed his thumb at the door behind him.

Jason walked up to the door and walked inside, followed by Greg and the others. In the room were four animals. One, a female mouse that resembled one from the portraits on the first floor, wore a bright red dress and sat at the far end of the table. Next to her was a female duck, wearing a turquoise dress. The last two animals were two small chipmunks, which stood on the table wearing small engineering clothing.

"Your Majesty, we've brought them like you asked." Donald bowed his head.

The mouse at the far end of the table stared at the humans near the doorway. "Thank you Donald." The mouse smiled gently. "Now, which one of you is the Keyblade Bearer?" she asked, looking at each of the humans, until Greg stepped forward.

"I am, Your Majesty." Greg spoke up, sounding a bit nervous in the presence of the Queen. "I am the Bearer of the Keyblade."

"I see. What are your names?" the Queen asked.

"My name is Greg Thomas." Greg introduced himself.

"I'm Tami Bridges." Tami added.

"You already know us, Queen Minnie." Rebecca gave the Queen a smile.

"Yes. That I do, Rebecca." Minnie giggled. "I am Queen Minnie." She turned to the others beside her. "This here is Daisy, my lady in waiting." She introduced the duck. Daisy gave a small wave of her hand, but said nothing to interrupt the Queen. "These two here are Chip and Dale. They are the Gummi engineers here in the castle."

"How ya doing?" Chip greeted them.

"Nice to meet you all." Dale added.

"It's nice to meet you too." Tami smiled, thinking the two small creatures were cute.

"So, where are the other Keybearers, Donald?" the Queen asked, after she noticed that there was only one in the small party.

"There are no others present, my Queen. Greg is the only one we could locate." Donald implied.

Minnie turned her gaze to Greg. "Tell me, do you know the others? The other Keyblade Wielders is what I mean."

"Yes, I know them. Their friends of ours." He pointed his thumb between himself and Tami. "We came here looking for them. But so far, we haven't seen hide nor hair of them."

"How did you all get separated?"

"Well." Greg thought back to the night when everything seemed to go wrong. "Well, there was this strange group of figures that kidnapped one of our friends, her name is Kairi. We tried to stop them, but they had us outnumbered." Greg's eyes traveled to the ground. "Unfortunately, they managed to escape with Kairi. Sora and Riku gave chase to them, and so did we, but we lost them once we entered the portal."

"Sora and Riku?"

"Yeah. They're the other two Keyblade Wielders you're looking for."

"I see. I'm sorry to hear that you've lost the three of them. Do you know who the figures were who kidnapped you friend, Kairi was it?"

"No, we don't know who they were." Greg kept his eyes on the ground.

"Greg, didn't that man with the red hair, from that night, wear the same clothes as the bald guy you just fought?" Tami asked, jumping into the conversation.

Greg thought for a moment. They did wear the same uniform, which means they were part of the figures that kidnapped Kairi. "You're right, Tami. They did wear the same uniform."

"Well, if you're talking about Lieutenant Colonel Ganboia, then you're referring to the Rambosan Empire." Jason muttered, as he made his appearance known.

"The Rambosan Empire?" the Queen repeated. Minnie had heard of the group from some point, or time, but that was years ago. Back when it was just some small organization, making trouble for one world or another.

"Yes, the Rambosan Empire. An Empire seeking to control all worlds, and they won't stop until they have achieved their goal." Jason implied. "They're going about the worlds, using their army of soldiers to wreck havoc on the worlds. But their plans have been foiled once, by the Heartless."

"Heartless?" Tami couldn't resist the urge to ask. "What are Heartless?"

"They are creatures who reside from the darkness in people's hearts." He looked at everyone in the room with a stern face. "And there is darkness in every heart."

"So how did the Heartless stop the Empire?" Greg asked.

"Well, since the Empire has evil intentions, mostly everyone's heart within the Empire is shrouded in darkness, attracting the Heartless to them. So, where ever the Empire went, the Heartless were sure to follow."

"What's stopping the Heartless from interfering with the Empire's plans this time?"

"A Keyblade Wielder."

"A Keyblade Wielder? You mean Sora and Riku are helping them out?!" Greg exclaimed.

"No, no. I'll explain the Keyblade Wielder later, let me explain things about the Keyblade first." Jason took a deep breath. "Whenever the Keyblade chooses its wielder, the Heartless seek out that wielder. Since the Keyblade is a weapon that can destroy Heartless, the Heartless seek it out to destroy it. Since more than just one Keyblade Wielder has made their appearances, you all are attracting the Heartless' attention away from the Empire."

"So, we're basically saving the Empire's butt?" Greg asked, crossing his arms. "That sucks."

"You could put it that way." Jason spoke again. Everyone gave him a curious look, as to what he was talking about. "You're just drawing the attention of the Heartless. But the Empire has a little Keyblade Bearer, who goes around sealing off the Keyholes of the Worlds, which is your job."

"Sealing Keyholes? That's the job of a Keyblade Wielder." Greg shook his head from side to side. "That sucks even more."

"Just listen." Jason demanded. "The only way to stop the Heartless is to seal, or lock, the Keyholes of each world, that's what the Keyblades are used for, locking the Keyholes. Unfortunately, a man named Ansem opened the Keyholes years ago, which led to the Heartless popping up in every world."

"So, who's this Ansem guy, and where is he now?" Tami asked.

"Well, Ansem was the ruler of a world known as Radiant Gardens. His people loved him, as he loved them. But he became fascinated with the darkness in people's hearts, and began experimenting with it, resulting in the creation of the Heartless."

"So this whack job, Ansem, created the Heartless?" Greg replied.

"Was he consumed by the darkness?" Tami asked, in which Jason returned the question with a shrug.

"We don't know." Donald implied, answering both questions. "He just disappeared one day, and nobody has ever seen him since." Donald quacked, as he drew Tami's attention. "The Keyblade Wielder, who is helping the Empire, is rumored to be the apprentice of Ansem. But that's only a rumor."

"That's right." Jason turned back to Greg and the others. "Some people believe that Ansem had an apprentice, but he actually had _seven_. Six of them were swallow by the darkness and no one knows where they are now. The Empire found the seventh one, the Keyblade Wielder."

"So, what are the Empire's real plans?" the young Keybearer asked.

"That, we don't know." Jason replied, and turned to the Queen. "What shall we do, Your Majesty? We've only gotten one Keyblade Wielder with us."

Queen Minnie thought for a moment, or two, before giving Jason the answer. "I… I don't know. King Mickey is out searching for the Keyblade Wielders, and the other Keyblade Wielders are their friends." The Queen seemed to stop and think again. "Give them a Gummi Ship. Let them search for their friends. I'm sure that they'll find King Mickey also. Once they've done that, they can ask the King what they should do."

"As you wish, Your Majesty." Jason bowed his head.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Tami added, bowing her head also. Rebecca and Greg followed their actions.

"Donald, Goofy." The Queen spoke, drawing the attention of the two individuals. "I want you two to take a Gummi Ship of your own and search planets also. That way, you can cover more ground that way."

"Yes Ma'am." Donald bowed.

Chip and Dale gave a jump of joy and leapt off of the table. They scurried over to Greg and Tami. The blonde girl kneeled down, coming face to face with the two chipmunks. "Yes?"

"We'll have your ship ready in a jiffy!" Chip shouted with joy.

"That's right!" Dale turned to Chip. "Let's get a move on." Chip nodded and scurried off out the door, with Dale right behind him.

"Uh…" Greg began to speak. He placed a hand on his stomach and smiled. "May we have something to eat?" He asked, trying to be polite.

"Certainly! Goofy, show our guests to the dining hall." Minnie requested.

"Yes, yer Majesty." Goofy bowed. "C'mon, I'll show ya the way." He chuckled, as he headed out the door. Greg and the others followed him out.

The Queen watched them carefully, as they exited the room. She was positive that those kids weren't ready for what was sure to happen. But she placed her faith in her husband, King Mickey.

"Oh, King Mickey, what are we going to do?" she sighed, as she rested her head on her hands.

"Don't worry, Queen Minnie. King Mickey has the utmost faith in the ones who wield the Keyblades." Daisy muttered, as she patted the Queen on the back.

"I know, Daisy. I know…" Minnie murmured.

Inside the Section 18 Rambosan Base…

Olivia stared out the window, glaring into the Heartless below. She despised those Heartless creatures with all of her heart. They destroyed her home when she was young, and took her younger sister away from her. She wanted so much to kill them, but running into battle would be idiotic.

"Colonel Bridges! We've retrieved Colonel Mandero from the battlefield. He's in pretty bad condition, ma'am." An officer, who had entered the room moments ago, reported to her.

Olivia closed her eyes, trying to lock her hatred of the Heartless away. "Where is he?" she asked, as she opened her eyes and looked back at the soldier.

"Well, he's in the infirmary, ma'am."

Olivia sighed and walked toward the door. "I'm going to go see him. I need you to send a report to General Blake, telling her that the rebels have kidnapped the little _princess_." She exited the room before the soldier could reply.

She walked down the hall rather quickly. Shortly she arrived at the infirmary, and was quick to enter. There, lying down on his back, in a bed was James.

"James, what the hell happened out there?" Olivia asked, as she approached the bed.

"So-sorry Olivia… They were…on a different level…" James managed to say. Olivia sighed. She couldn't put all the blame on him. If she would have went out there, she might have ended up in the same position.

"It's not your fault, James." She murmured, as she knelt over onto the bed. "I shouldn't have sent you out there like that. I knew they were completely on a Brigadier General level."

"Makes me think…what are we really fighting for…" James muttered, as he stared up at the ceiling.

"Yeah…" Olivia responded, as she stood back up. "Well, I better break the news to General Blake." She muttered, completely forgetting about her orders to the soldier. With that, she exited the room.

Brandon and Selphie…

Brandon's eyes were focused on Selphie, who was chatting with one of her friends. Brandon just stood there, leaning against a light post and staring at the brunette before him. For a brief moment, he only had her on his mind, but only for a brief moment. He looked down at the ground, trying to question why that had just occurred, those thoughts he just had. But he got no answer in return.

He chuckled to himself after he had come to his conclusion that no one was going to answer his questions for him. Greg had always told him that he'd have trouble with girls, and of course, Greg was right.

"Yeah, so it's a beach party right?" Selphie asked, as she started walking back toward Brandon. Her friend replied with a 'yes'. "Okay, we'll be there!" she called back, before turning to Brandon. Brandon didn't seem to notice her return, as he was staring at, or into, the ground. "Uh, did I take too long?" she asked.

"No, not at all." Brandon lied, as he looked up at her. "So, it's a beach party?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's what she told me. But, for right now, what should we do to pass the time?" she asked.

Brandon lowered his head again, and began thinking. There wasn't much to do. He hadn't really explored the island since Greg and the others left, so he didn't know what else you could do around except hang out.

"I don't know." Brandon replied. "We can do anything you want to…"

"Hmmm. Well, let's just walk and talk. That usually passes the time quickly." Selphie smiled, as she started walking down the sidewalk. Brandon shrugged and followed behind her.

"What are we going to talk about?" Brandon asked, placing his hands in his pockets. Selphie didn't really know herself. She just wanted to be near Brandon for some reason, or another.

"Well, now that I think about it, there isn't really much to talk about." She replied, as she looked down at the ground. "Oh! I know!" she turned on her heels to look at Brandon. "How about I show you around? You haven't really seen the islands like I have."

"Sure, why not? It isn't like I have somewhere to be." Brandon muttered.

"Great! Let's go!" she giggled, as she wrapped her arm into his and pulled him down the sidewalk.

Sora and Ravu…

Sora slid back across the grass field, ripping of flowers as he did. He forced the Kingdom Key into the ground, causing him to stop. He glanced up at Ravu, looking a bit weary.

"Are you okay, Sora? Are you ready to call it quits?" Ravu asked, as she toyed with her Keyblade. She looked over at the boy, with a smirk plastered on her face.

Sora gritted his teeth, and released the Keyblade from the ground. "I'm just fine!" he shouted. _"If I don't come up with something quick, she's going to win… I need to use something she's not expecting."_

"It's no use trying to think. There's nothing you can do to best me." Ravu implied, placing the Keyblade over her shoulder.

"_Maybe I can use one of those abilities…"_ Sora gripped the Keyblade with both hands and charged at Ravu. Ravu sighed, knowing the outcome of his next attack. Sora began to speed up, trying his best to call forth the spell attack.

"_Come on! Think 'Fire'!"_ he kept thinking. As he drew closer and closer to Ravu, the Keyblade began to grow warm in Sora's hands. _"This is it! This is the ability!"_

When he finally reached Ravu, which seemed to take an eternity, he swung the Keyblade with all of his might. Ravu simply jumped back, into the air. It was then that Sora pointed the Keyblade at her. "Fire!" he called out. At the sound of his voice, a fireball, about the size of a basketball, was released from the tip of the Keyblade.

Wide-eyed, and in shock, Ravu was hit directly in the chest, sending her soaring farther into the air. Within moments, Ravu came flying back down and landed on her back.

"Yes! I did it! I used one of my Keyblades abilities!" Sora cheered, as he danced around in a circle.

Ravu leaned up, rubbing her chest. "Well, you've learned your first spell at least." She murmured, as she got to her feet. "But that's not one of your Keyblade's abilities."

Sora stopped dancing, and looked back at Ravu. "Are you serious!?! That wasn't one of my Keyblade's abilities?" Ravu replied with the shake of her head. Sora dropped down onto the ground. "Aww man. And I was hoping you'd teach me something…"

"Well, you did beat me. But technically, you didn't. You were too busy dancing around. If this would have been a serious battle, you would have been killed." Ravu allowed her Keyblade to diminish, and folded her arms. "But… since you learned a spell, on your own, I might as well teach you a little something."

"Really?" Sora's face lit up with happiness. He jumped to his feet. "What are you going to teach me? Huh?"

"…Well, since your name means 'sky', let's focus on wind abilities. They're quite strong, and are the easiest to learn." Ravu implied. Sora smiled, and nodded his head. "And how about I teach you a wind spell too. I'm sure it'll come in handy in the near future."

At that, Sora nearly rushed to hug Ravu, but contained himself by nodding his head. Ravu giggled and then spoke. "The move I'm going to teach you is called the Wind Slash."

"The Wind Slash?"

"Yes, the Wind Slash. It generates air currents around the Keyblade's blade, which you then fire off as an invisible force." Ravu explained. Sora blinked, and scratched his head. He obviously didn't know what she was talking about. "Let me show you."

Ravu Keyblade appeared in her hand. "Alright, you see that tree over there." Ravu pointed out.

"Yeah…?" Sora replied, as he looked at the tree, and then at Ravu.

"Watch closely." She murmured, as she closed her eyes. Sora could feel the wind draw toward Ravu, and circle around her Keyblade. He could actually see the wind spiraling around the blade itself, but only faintly.

Ravu reopened her eyes and looked over at Sora. "Now do you see?" she asked. Sora nodded, and waited for her next movement. "Now, for that tree." With that said, Ravu swung the Keyblade out in front of her, as if attacking something. The tree was almost fifty feet away, and Sora had no clue what was about to happen.

Sora stared down at the tree. He could see something approach it, but it was barely visible. Suddenly, the tree was sliced in half, and fell to the ground. Sora stared, in awe, as he watched the tree hit the ground.

"And that, my friend, is the Wind Slash." Ravu implied proudly. She turned to Sora. "Pretty impressive, huh?" Sora nodded, but that was all he did. "But that is only the first level, and that is the only level I have mastered." She allowed her Keyblade to diminish into the air again. "I leave it to you to master this technique. Besides, I have my own techniques to master."

"You're teaching me that?" Sora asked, still staring at the tree down field.

"Yep… unless you don't want to learn it…" Ravu muttered.

"No, no! I want to learn that move! Teach me the Wind Slash!" He shouted.

"Okay, okay." She chuckled. "Let's move over there, to that tree." She walked off toward the implied tree, and Sora followed behind, ever so eager to learn the technique. They stopped about twenty feet away from the tree.

"Now, the first thing you do is concentrate on drawing strength from the wind itself. Bring your Keyblade up and concentrate."

As told, Sora brought his Keyblade before him and gripped the handle with both hands. He closed his eyes and thought of the wind. _"Alright, time to show her what I can really do!"_

Ravu watched as she felt the wind faintly draw towards Sora's Keyblade. She was quite surprised that he was able to gather the wind with one try.

"Okay, Sora." She said.

Sora opened his eyes and stared at the Keyblade. He could feel the wind circle around the blade, but he couldn't see it, not even faintly. With all of his might, he swung the Keyblade through the air at the tree. They waited, and waited, for the attack at hit the tree. Within a matter of seconds, the Wind Slash made contact with it's designated target. Unfortunately, the result wasn't what either of them was expecting.

Sora's Wind Slash made a small gash on the trunk of the tree, but didn't dare to cut through it. Sora stared at the cut, wide-eyed, and Ravu could barely contain her giggling.

"Darn it! What went wrong?" Sora asked.

"Well…" Ravu asked, trying to hide her laughing. "You just didn't call forth enough power of the wind."

Sora sighed, and prepared to try the attack again. "I'll get it this time." He muttered, as he closed his eyes.

"_This is going to be a long day…"_ Ravu thought, as she watched Sora make the same mark again.

"Ahhh! Come on!!" he shouted, as he closed his eyes again.

"You'll get it, Sora. Just relax." Ravu told him.

"Yeah, yeah."

Cloud and the others…

Yuffie rushed forward and collapsed on the ground. "That… was a little… too much…" she groaned, as she pushed herself up.

"I think you're right, Yuffie." Tifa added, as he leaned against the wall.

They had finally managed to make it back into the town of Hollow Bastion. The Heartless didn't care to follow, so they continued to raid the Rambosan Base.

Leon sighed, as he sat down on one of the benches in the area. "Well, at least we got what we came for." He looked up at Aerith, and then at Kairi. "And a little something extra?"

"Uh…Cloud, was it? I think I can walk now." Kairi stated. Cloud nodded, and knelt down, allowing Kairi to hop off of his back.

"Who's the kid?" Vincent asked, as he strapped his pistol onto his side.

"This is Kairi, she was kidnapped by the Rambosan Army." Aerith implied, as she patted Kairi on the head.

Cloud sat down on the bench, next to Leon. "How, exactly, did you get kidnapped, kid?" he asked.

"Well-" Kairi began to tell the story of how she was kidnapped.

She told them how she was taken from her friend's house a few nights ago. She mentioned that her friends had attempted to rescue her, but failed. She mentioned the fact that she didn't even know they were alive. She even mentioned the strange 'key-shaped' weapon her friend used.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Kairi." Tifa implied, as she walked over to the girl. "I'm sure your friends followed you, but got lost on the way. They're still alive, trust me."

"You mentioned a 'key-shaped' weapon, right?" Leon asked, thinking back to the story.

"Yeah. My friend, Sora, was holding it the whole time." Kairi told him.

"So, the Keyblade has chosen one." Cloud muttered, as he glanced down at the ground. "That means that trouble is brewing somewhere."

"But why'd it choose a kid? Of all people, it chose a kid." Leon uttered, folding his arms. "I suppose beggars can't be choosers."

"I wonder what the Empire wants with Kairi." Tifa muttered.

"Whatever it is, it can't be good." Leon added.

"How about we talk this over at Merlin's?" Yuffie implied, as she stood up.

"Yeah. If we stay here too long, the Heartless are bound to find us." Aerith added.

"Follow me!" Yuffie shouted, as she marched down the street.

"Yuffie… you're going the wrong way…" Leon muttered, as he sighed. Yuffie turned around and smile.

"No I'm not, silly!" she giggled, and continued to march.

"Well, why she's heading back to the Rambosan Base, let's head to Merlin's." Tifa implied, as she walked off in the opposite direction. Everyone followed, leaving Yuffie alone.

"Uh, guys! Wait!!" Yuffie shouted, as she ran after them, followed by several Heartless. "Seriously, wait for me!" she called out.

Greg and the others…

Jason frowned, and placed a hand over his face. He watched as Greg ate his fill, along with Tami and Rebecca. To his surprise, Greg ate more than three times as many plates as Tami and Rebecca combined.

Greg sighed, and a smile graced his lips. "That was delicious!" he chuckled, as he rubbed his stomach.

"Wow, Greg… Thirty-seven plates all together…" Tami muttered, as she finished her fourth plate.

"Yep! You gotta eat to keep up your strength, you know?!" Greg chuckled again.

Rebecca finished her fifth plate, and leaned back in the chair. "That was the best!" she giggled.

"You said it!" Greg added, as the two of them issued high-fives to each other.

Jason sighed, and got up from his seat. He then walked out of the room, leaving the others.

"Where's he going?" Greg asked, feeling curious.

"Well, he usually goes to train. So, I think he's going to the training arena." Rebecca replied, as she hopped from her seat and ran after her brother.

"Maybe you should go to the training arena, and do some training. It would be the perfect time to work on your skills with your Keyblade." Tami implied, as she stood from her seat. "Besides, I need to find me something to use in battle. I'm not the swordsman type, you know." She giggled.

"Yeah, I should get some training in. Let's hurry and catch up." Greg jumped from his seat and rushed out the room, followed by Tami.

Riku and Mickey…

Riku tightened his grip around, what felt like, hot grains of sand. He could feel the heat rising off of the ground and warming his skin. He new this feeling all to well, but where was the sound of the waves? Was he home, and everything he went through just a dream?

The young white-haired teen opened his eyes, to the sight of sand before him. Using his arms, he pushed himself up and got a good look around. Sand. Sand, as far as his eyes could see. And not a cloud in the sky from stopping the bright sun from beaming down on him. Now he knew he wasn't dreaming, and that he wasn't even home. He was somewhere totally different.

"Mi-Mickey, where are we?" he asked. But there came no answer. Riku shook the grains of sand from his face, and stood up. He looked around, but Mickey wasn't anywhere in sight.

"Mickey? Mickey!" he called out, but no one answered. "We must've gotten split up after entering that portal." He thought back to the night he jumped into that portal after Sora and Kairi. "These portals just randomly throw you out to different places." He muttered, as he sneezed. He was still sick from running around in the rain.

Suddenly, a weird noise came out of nowhere. It sounded like someone was calling his name, but his or her mouth was too full to understand.

Riku looked around, but saw nothing. The voice called out again, and Riku was sure that it was near. He gave another sneeze, and looked down to see a skinny black strand of, what he thought was hair, wagging back and forth. Riku knelt down and pulled on it. The voice called out again, as he continued to pull on it.

"What the heck is this thing!" Riku asked, as he pulled the wagging hair with all of his might. In a sudden rush, something arose from the sand, causing Riku to fly back and land on his back. He couldn't tell what it was, but something flew over his head and landed behind him.

Riku leaned up and looked back to where the 'thing' had landed. There, he saw two big round ears wiggle, and a familiar face turned to look at him.

"I thought I was a goner, thanks Riku." Mickey chuckled, as he shook the sand from his body. "But you didn't have to pull my tail so hard."

"Mi-Mickey!?!" Riku shouted, as he jumped to his feet and ran over to the mouse. "I thought we were split up when we entered the portal!"

"Nope. As long as I was holding on to you, we weren't going to split up." Mickey hopped to his feet and shook his body once again, making sure all the sand was off of his body. "Now, where are we?" he asked, as he looked around.

"I don't know. I was going to ask you the same thing." Riku replied, as he wiped the sweat beads from his forehead.

"Well, there seems to be no civilization in sight." Mickey said, as he took another look around.

"Then we're stuck here?" Riku asked, as another sneeze came out.

"Yes, until we can find away out of this desert." Mickey replied. It was then, that a flying carpet soared over there heads.

"What was that?" Mickey asked, turning toward the direction it was speeding in.

"It looked like a flying carpet." Riku muttered, rubbing his nose.

"If that was a flying carpet, then I know exactly where we are." Mickey implied, as he walked toward the direction of the carpet.

"And where are we, exactly?" Riku asked, as he followed behind the mouse.

"We're near the royal city of Agrabah." He replied.

"Royal city of Agrabah?" Riku repeated, as he followed the mouse. "I hope we're going in the right direction."

Greg and the others…

Greg and Tami had finally made it to the training arena, after almost thirty minutes of searching for it. Tami sighed and leaned against the wall.

"Wow, that was a workout! Who knew this castle was so big?" she muttered.

"At least we finally made it here. And there's Jason!" Greg pointed.

In the distance, Jason was sparring against one of the knights of the castle. It was obvious that he was winning, because his opponent was completely on the defensive.

"Okay, okay, Sir Jason! I give up!" the knight shouted, as he backed away from Jason. Jason sighed, and forced his Buster Sword into the ground.

"You're giving up? Just like that?" Jason asked, with a hint of annoyance in his voice. The Knight nodded, and withdrew his sword. "Fine, get out of my sight!" Jason shouted, motioning for the Knight to leave. The Knight nodded, and headed off in the opposite direction.

"Yeesh Jason, you don't have to be so rude." Greg uttered, as he and Tami walked up behind him.

"Hm?" Jason turned to the others. "I'm rude when I have to be. What swordsman gives up in the middle of battle?" he asked. Greg shrugged. "Anyway, what are you two doing here?"

"Well, I wanted to start training with the Keyblade, so that I know how to use it properly." Greg implied. "Tami's here to find a weapon of her own."

"I see. Well, if you're looking for some training, how about you go up against me?" Jason asked, leaning against his over-sized sword.

"Uh…well, you're more experienced than me. I was thinking I-" Greg was cut off.

"So, in other words, you're scared?" Jason grinned.

"Well…not really…" Greg replied. The Amulet of Promise appeared in his hand. "But I'll fight you anyway, just take it easy." He chuckled.

Jason sighed and brought up his Buster Sword. He turned to Tami. "You better get out of the way." Tami nodded and retreated to the sidelines.

"You ready?" Greg asked.

"I'll let you make the first move." Jason smirked, gripping the handle of the Buster Sword tightly. With that, Greg charged at the large-sword wielding teen before him.

* * *

Greg: Well, that's it for chapter 6. I kinda had trouble writing this one. I hope nothing like this happens again in the near future, I have big plans for this story.

Brandon: Oh, and big plans for me!

Greg: Yep, I do! Something no one will suspect! Anyway, thanks for reading. And just so everyone knows, this story is going to be divided in Arcs from now on.


	8. Arc 1: Chapter 7: The True Wind Slash

Greg: Okay, here's the deal. I'm sorry I haven't been updating, and I said last time that I would update sooner, which didn't happen, but please forgive me. School is getting in the way, not to mention my life too. So, there's a couple of things different about this chapter. 1) It isn't nearly as long as the last two or three. 2) There is no flashback, due to the late-ness of this chapter. I'm trying to get it up as soon as possible, so the flashback will have to wait until next chapter. 3) And the character parts are a lot shorter, which hints back to number 1. So, again, please forgive me and I'll try my BEST to get the next chapter up soon. It **will** be longer next time, trust me.

* * *

Greg gripped the Amulet of Promise Keyblade, also known as the Oathkeeper, tightly as he waited for Jason to move. His heartbeat began to increase and sweat began to form along his brow. He frowned, knowing what this meant.

Whenever he would face a friend in a game of sorts, these effects would come over him; increase in heartbeat and sweating. For some reason, he couldn't help but hold back when he fought his friends. It was something that he disliked.

Jason smirked, noticing that Greg kept wiping his hands on his shirt, obviously trying to get rid of the excess sweat. _"He's getting nervous."_ Jason chuckled to himself. "I told you, you make the first move." He called out.

Greg wiped his hands one last time, before gripping the Keyblade and rushing off toward his opponent. As soon as he was in range, he raised the Oathkeeper over his head and brought it down. Jason quickly brought his Buster Sword up to block the on-coming attack. Greg stepped back and attacked again, aiming for Jason's legs. His opponent's blade was forced into the ground, blocking Greg's second attack.

Greg straightened his form and was preparing to step back, when Jason's foot slammed into his chest, sending the young Keybearer to the ground. "Aww, down already?" Jason chuckled.

"Shut up, that was a lucky shot!" Greg growled, as he pushed himself up. He gripped his Keyblade with both hands and glared over at his opponent. "You'll have to do a lot more than that to keep me down."

"I'm on a whole different level than you, so I won't have to do much." Jason grinned. His grin only widened when Greg's glare intensified. But Greg calmed himself down and smirked.

"I'm pretty sure we're on the same level." Greg chuckled, as he rushed forward. This time, Jason did the same. To Greg's surprise, Jason ran with a great amount of speed, even though he wielded that large sword. Dragging the sword along, Jason brought the large weapon forward, causing it to rip up pieces of the castle floor along with it. Greg stopped immediately and rolled to the side, dodging a piece of the destroyed floor.

Greg frowned and jumped back. _"That little trick he just pulled gave him some cover."_ Greg stared into the dust cloud, hoping to spot some movement. Suddenly, the dust cloud dispersed as Jason came sprinting out of it with his sword raised. Once in range, he brought his sword down on Greg. The young Keybearer, though he was shocked, managed to bring up the Oathkeeper just in time. The force of the attack caused Greg's feet to sink into the tiled floor, creating two small craters around his feet.

"_Darn! He's fast and hits hard?!"_ Greg thought, as he struggled to hold off the large sword. He glanced up slowly, still trying to hold Jason's Buster Sword in place. Jason smirked at him and increased the pressure he was applying to the sword. Greg could feel his feet sliding back, ripping up the tile floor piece by small piece. Jason raised his sword over his head again and slammed it down on Greg's Oathkeeper, causing more pressure to be applied. Greg's legs nearly gave out, but he held on. Jason slammed the blade down two more times, but Greg still managed to hold on.

Jason raised the blade over his head quickly, not trying to give Greg the time to escape. _"Not this time!"_ Greg pushed to the left with his right foot and rolled out of the way, just as Jason's Buster Sword hit the ground. Knowing that he would not make it in time if he charged him, Greg tossed his Keyblade at Jason like a boomerang. Unaware of Greg's last action, Jason is slashed on the arm by the Keyblade. The young swordsman winced in pain, but managed to release his Buster Sword from the ground. He could hear the Keyblade hit the ground behind him.

"_At least I made a hit. Now, I just need to get my Keyblade back."_ Greg thought, as he prepared to make a run for the Key. Jason stepped in, between Greg's sights of the Keyblade.

"That was rather…stupid of you." Jason muttered, as he glanced at the newly born wound on his right arm. "But nonetheless, you made your first, and last, hit on me." His eyes met with Greg's. "This match is over!" he shouted, as he rushed forward.

Greg didn't know what to do. He had just thrown his Keyblade halfway across the room, like an idiot, and now didn't have anything to protect himself with. But through it all, he smirked.

Jason came forward, swinging his blade at his opponent. Greg dodged and made a mad dash for his Keyblade. Jason, without thinking, followed behind him. Greg dove for the Keyblade, grabbing it in his right hand, and rolled to his feet, just in time to block Jason attack.

"You're getting better at this." Jason told him, as he stepped back with a smirk on his face. Greg panted slightly and stared at the black haired teen before him.

Tami was standing on the sidelines, along with every Knight who was watching the match. In her hands were a bow and a couple of arrows. She thought it would be better if she carried around a bow and some arrows, instead of a sword, because she disliked fighting.

"Wow, Greg's really handling himself quite well out there." Tami said happily, as she jumped up and down on the tips of her toes. "Go Greg!" she cheered. Rebecca came up and stood beside Tami, holding a blue-ish white ice cream bar.

"The battle is still going on? I was positive my brother could handle Greg." Rebecca murmured between licks. She looked up at Tami with a smile to which she returned it with a scowl. "What?" Rebecca asked.

"Greg's a lot stronger than you think, Rebecca. He wiped out all of those creatures in the field outside of this city, remember?" Tami asked, as she folded her arms.

"How do you know he beat them all?" Rebecca asked, as she licked her ice cream bar again.

"Because I do, I just know he did." Tami replied, as she looked back out at the fight. Rebecca shrugged and shoved the ice cream bar into her mouth.

"Are you going to attack?" Jason asked, as he stared over at his opponent, the young Keybearer.

Greg opened his mouth to say something, but decided not to. What he really needed was a plan to help him win the sparring match, which he didn't have. _"Okay, how do I win this? Uh…there's got to be a way… Wait!"_ Greg thought back to the day he fought the sea of black creatures, just outside of town. _"If I can just figure out how to get the Keyblade to pulse, then maybe I can beat him. When it pulsed that day, I could feel energy flowing through me, and through the Keyblade."_

Greg straightened his form, gripped the Keyblade with both hands, and closed his eyes. _"All I have to do is make it pulsate… How the heck do I do that?!"_ He shouted through his mind.

"_**Call upon the power of your Keyblade. Once you do that, you'll have the power to win." **_Tony's voice echoed through Greg's mind.

"Okay, I'll try." Greg muttered. _"Amulet of Promise, please grant me your power…"_ Greg stood there for a moment, but nothing happened. "It's not working!" he shouted out loud.

Jason smirked and rushed forward. "If you stand there, I'll kill you!" he called out, as he raised his Buster Sword over his head and brought it down.

Greg brought the Amulet of Promise up, blocking Jason's attack. "You won't be killing me today, I have something to do before I go dieing on everyone." Greg smirked, as the Keyblade gave a pulse. "And besides, this is just a sparring match." The young Keybearer pushed Jason away and stepped back.

Jason slid to a stop and gripped his Buster Sword with both hands. "Your Keyblade, it's pulsating." He muttered, as his Buster Sword began emitting a faint blue aura.

Greg muttered something under his breath once he realized what Jason was about to do. "Give it your best shot." Greg replied, as the pulsations of the Keyblade began to increase.

"Oh no, Jason is going to use that attack again." Tami murmured to herself.

"Well, it looks like my brother is the winner." Rebecca giggled, as she watched her brother prepare to attack.

"Well, this match is over." Jason grinned, as he raised his sword over his head. "Dragon Fang!" he shouted, as he slammed the sword on the ground, unleashing several sharp waves of energy that sliced through the tiled floor and headed toward the Keybearer.

Greg raised his Keyblade above his head. He then slammed the tip of the Keyblade deep into the ground. Greg's eyes widened as the power of the Keyblade was ejected in the form of a grayish white barrier that headed outward. The barrier ripped up the tile floor like it was nothing, and continued heading outward with no sign of stopping. Jason's Dragon Fang attack came in contact with the barrier, and was absorbed into it.

Jason stared at the barrier in shock. _"How could that barrier cancel out my Dragon Fang?"_ he asked himself, as the barrier grew closer and closer. At the last second, Jason tried to escape its reach, but failed in the process. The young swordsman was hit by the barrier and thrown across the large room, crashing into the wall at the face end.

"Get back, everyone!" Tami shouted, as she made a run for it. She grabbed Rebecca's hand in the process, and dragged her along. All the Knights turned and headed for safety. Pieces of the tiled floor were thrown everywhere, hitting some of the escaping Knights. Tami looked back and noticed that the barrier had ceased its rampage, and was now returning back to its source.

The young blonde fell to the ground, panting heavily from her little adrenaline rush. Rebecca plopped down beside her, with her ice cream bar still in hand.

The barrier soon faded, leaving a large crater within the room. All of the Knights were amazed that a mere boy, a Keyblade Wielding boy, could cause so much destruction. The room seemed totally destroyed now. Pieces of the floor were thrown in all directions, some even soared into the walls of the area.

Tami stared over to where Greg was last seen, trying to see if she could spot him through the large dust cloud. She stood up and rushed into the cloud, looking for any signs of the boy. Finally, she found him. Greg was kneeling down, with his hands on the Keyblade, which was ejecting from the ground. His head was down, so Tami couldn't really see his face.

"Greg? Are you okay?" she asked, as she stepped closer to him. She then noticed that his clothes had been almost torn to pieces, and his body was covered in scrapes and small cuts. "Greg?" she called out again.

Greg slowly raised his head, with a smile plaster on his face. "Haha, I won!" he chuckled. He slowly stood and tried to release the Keyblade from the ground. Unfortunately, he had no energy to force it out of the ground, and Tami watched him struggle with a smile on her face.

"Let me help." She muttered, as the dust cloud finally subsided and she got a better view of him. She laid her bow on the ground and walked over to Greg and the Oathkeeper. She took it in her hands and helped him pull it out. "There." She smiled, as Greg took a firm grip around the blade.

"Thanks, Tami." He laughed nervously, as he stumbled back a bit. Tami rushed to him and helped him stand. "I guess that move I just did took a lot out of me."

"Yeah, you should rest now." Tami implied.

"Looks like you won the match." Jason smirked, as he walked toward the two, with Rebecca at his side. "But it looks like your little attack backfired a bit." He uttered, as he looked Greg up and down.

At a closer look, Greg and Tami could see that the barrier had done considerable damage to Jason. His clothes were practically torn to ribbons and his body was covered with cuts and bruises.

"Yeah, it looks that way." Greg chuckled, as the Keyblade diminished from his hand.

"Get him back to the Dinning Hall." Jason ordered. "I'm going to go get us a change of clothes." With that, Jason made his way to the exit.

"Well, you heard him. Let's get you back to the Dining Hall." Tami smiled, as she began helping Greg walk toward the exit. She stopped and looked back. "Rebecca, can you grab my bow for me."

Rebecca blinked, and then looked back at the bow lying in the middle of the crater. She nodded and went to pick it up. "I got it, Tami!" she shouted, as she sprinted to catch up with the others.

Riku and Mickey…

"Well, there it is." Mickey pointed into the distance. Riku narrowed his eyes, trying to get a better view. To his surprise, he could see the outlines of buildings in the distance. But what if the outlines were just illusions? Just a trick the desert heat was playing on them.

"What if it's just a mirage?" Riku asked.

"We won't know until we find out." Mickey replied. "We better get a move on."

"Yeah." Riku nodded, as he followed behind the mouse.

As they walked, the outlines of the buildings seemed to grow more and more visible. Soon, Riku and Mickey could see the royal city of Agrabah in their sights. But something wasn't right, and Mickey could sense it. The city looked as it always did, but there was something different.

"Something isn't right." The mouse muttered faintly, but loud enough for Riku to hear.

"What do you mean?" Riku asked, as he looked down at Mickey. "It looks fine from here."

"Just trust me, Riku. Everything may look fine, but something in the air tells me th-" Mickey suddenly pushed Riku back and threw himself forward. Just as the two of them flew in different directions, a weird creature leapt out from under the sand. The creature's head was wrapped in white bandages and it held a long sword.

"What the…?" Riku muttered, as he jumped to his feet.

"It's a Bandit Heartless!" Mickey shouted to Riku. "This must be why I sensed something wrong here." The Uranium Key appeared in Mickey's gloved hand. Just as his Keyblade appeared, several more Bandit Heartless leapt out of the sand and surrounded the two companions.

Riku summoned his Soul Eater without hesitation. "Looks like we have to fight them." Riku stepped back slowly, and then lunged forward, swinging his Soul Eater quickly. The Bandit Heartless he was attacking brought up his sword and blocked Riku's swing. The Heartless then swung at Riku, but the young Keybearer parried and then stabbed the creature in the chest. As the Soul Eater entered the Bandit's body, the Bandit dispersed in a black mist.

Mickey leapt backwards, into the air. "Strike Raid!" he shouted, as he flung the Keyblade at the Heartless. The Keyblade whizzed through the air, slicing down three of the Heartless. "Riku, we can't fight them all. We have to make a run for the city!" Mickey shouted, as he summoned his Keyblade back to his hand.

"Yeah, yeah…" Riku uttered, as he slid back into the sand. Just as he was about to lunge forward, another Heartless jumped out of the sand, with it's sword raised. Riku blocked that attack and stepped back. He then watched as the remaining Heartless dove into the sand below. "What are they doing?" he asked, as he looked around hesitantly.

"They're going to attack us from below. We have to make a run for it, now!" Mickey shouted, as he began sprinting toward the city.

Riku turned on his heels and sprinted toward the city as well. A Heartless leapt from the sand and tried to attack, but he rolled to the side to avoid it, and kept running. Just as it seemed that they were going to make it, more Heartless sprung out of the sand. "You've got to be kidding me?" Riku asked himself, as he slid to a stop.

"Riku, keep running!" Mickey called out, as he jumped over the heads of the Heartless.

Riku started to rush passed the Heartless, when several more Heartless sprung up. The white haired Keybearer growled, and prepared himself. He waited for the black creatures to make their first move, but they didn't. They seemed to be waiting for him to make his first move, and he did.

Without any sign of hesitation, Riku lunged forward and forced his Keyblade into one of the Heartless' body. Once it dispersed into a black mist, Riku rushed through, leaving the other Heartless to chase him. He could see Mickey in the distance, still running and urging him to hurry up.

Riku sped up as best he could, but it seemed like the Heartless were gaining on him. "Darn! All of this running and fighting is taking its toll on me." He uttered, as he looked back. When it seemed like the Heartless had finally caught up to him, a Keyblade flew by his face and cut several of the Heartless down.

"Hurry, Riku!" Mickey yelled, as he called back his Keyblade. Riku nodded and tried to run a bit faster, but he was too tired to do so. Mickey knew this, and rushed back for Riku. He leapt into the air, pointing his Keyblade at the Heartless, and released a large orb of light, which soared down and crashed into one of the black creatures. The light the orb emitted blinded the Heartless, and even managed to destroy two or three.

"Now's our chance, Riku! Let's hurry!" the Keyblade wielding mouse called out, as he turned and began running toward the city of Agrabah.

"Right behind you, Mickey!" Riku shouted in return, as he sprinted toward the city. The young Keybearer glanced back to see the Heartless wandering around in a daze. Though he could feel his legs about to give, he continued running.

Within a matter of minutes, the two Keybearers made it to the entrance of the city. Riku dropped down, landing upon the hot sand. He watched as several sweat drops fell onto the sea of sand below, and quickly dried up. He panted, struggling to get a good breath of air, and looked up at Mickey, who was leaning over trying to catch his breath as well.

"Mickey… we made it…" Riku muttered between breaths. Mickey looked over at him and nodded slightly.

"Yes, we did." He straightened his form and looked back out in the distance. The Heartless that were chasing them were nowhere in sight. "And it seems we've lost our friends." He looked back over at Riku. "But we can't sit and rest here. We better find somewhere safe."

"Yeah, you're right." Riku pushed himself up and onto his feet. Mickey nodded again, and headed into the city. Riku sighed and followed behind him.

Sora and Ravu…

Sora dropped to his knees and sighed in frustration. He knew now that learning something new wasn't always fun and easy to learn. It took hard work, concentration, and patience. Apparently, through Ravu's eyes, he wasn't making any progress with the Wind Slash technique, and it was becoming rather stressful on him. After all of his efforts to cut down the tree in the distance, he continued to fail.

Ravu had taken a seat in a grassy area, behind Sora, as so to watch him. She was not really sure he could use the Wind Slash, or not, but it was worth a try. Slowly, but surely, the attack increased in power each time Sora used it, even though Sora was wearing himself down. From Ravu's point of view, the problem is that Sora isn't able to control the wind force throughout the whole attack. Once he summons up the wind, and wraps it around his Keyblade, it slips away once he actually uses it.

A small smile graced the girl's lips, as Sora climbed back to his feet and attempted to use the attack again. She could tell he was growing tired, from how he was holding the Keyblade. Ravu laughed a bit, which caused Sora to look back at her.

"What's so funny?" Sora asked, as he raised an eyebrow.

Ravu shook her heard from side to side. "Nothing, Sora, nothing." She stopped her laughing, and looked up at the sky. "Just hurry up and learn this, okay? We have lots to do, you know."

Sora grunted and turned his back to her, placing both hands on the hilt of the Keyblade. He closed his eyes slowly, but kept them locked in position with the tree. He could feel the soft breeze rush across his cheek, heading toward the blade of the Keyblade. He could feel the wind wrap itself around the Keyblade. It was then, that he knew the Wind Slash was ready, but he didn't bother to open his eyes. He was going to make sure it worked this time, so he continued to gather more wind power.

Ravu sighed, shaking her head all the while. She realized what he was doing, and she knew the outcome of it. "Once the wind is fully wrapped around the Keyblade, there is no use in continuing to gather more wind energy." She muttered to herself. "But, he'll learn the hard way." She smirked.

Sora eyes flashed open, with a glint of hope. "Get ready to teach me that spell, Ravu, because I'm about to unleash a Wind Slash like never before!" he smirked. He rushed forward and swung the Keyblade through the air, with all of his might.

Just as the swing came to an end, Sora was blasted up into the air. Ravu watched, wide-eyed, as Sora flew through the air, in a spinning motion. Sora came to a stop in the air, and then came soaring back down. He then crashed onto the ground, twenty feet behind Ravu. The impact caused a small crater in the ground behind her.

By now, Ravu was rolling on the ground with laughter. She slowly rolled to the side and watched Sora climb out of the crater, limping. "Are… are you okay?" she asked, trying to hold in her giggling.

Sora moaned, then fell to his knees. "My… my back…" he moaned, as he fell onto his stomach.

Ravu shook her head again, and laughed. "Sora, you called upon too much wind energy for the Wind Slash. You aren't strong enough to handle that type of power." She exclaimed.

Sora frowned and looked out at the lake in the distance. Why couldn't he use the Wind Slash? Why was it so difficult for him? He closed his eyes and decided not to ask himself any more questions.

"Maybe you should take a break, Sora. You've wasted so much energy on that technique already." Ravu said, as she leaned up off of the ground.

Sora used his arms to push himself up to his knees, with his bangs fully covering his eyes. He held the Keyblade to his side, gripping it tightly. Suddenly, he punched the ground with his left hand, which shocked Ravu. "I… I can't take a break… I need to get stronger…" he muttered softly. "For… for Kairi…" Images of the night he received the Keyblade began to appear in his mind. He saw those men again, the men that kidnapped Kairi and took her away.

Ravu watched as Sora slowly got to his feet and gripped his Keyblade with both of his hands. He pushed his legs apart slightly, and leaned forward a bit. "Those men… I have to get stronger, in order to save her from them…"

"Sora…?" Ravu mumbled, as she got to her feet.

The wind around them slowly started to pick up, as if a storm was about to roll in. Ravu could feel it drawing towards Sora's Keyblade, the Kingdom Key. Suddenly, in a burst of power, a cyclone of strong winds appeared around Sora. The burst of power blasted Ravu twenty yards back, but she quickly got to her feet.

"Sora!?" she called out in amazement. She could actually see the wind wrapping around the blade of the Kingdom Key. "He's… he's got it…" Ravu muttered to herself.

Sora slowly raised the Keyblade over his head. As he did that, the wind around him grew stronger. His eyes widened and he slammed the Keyblade on the ground, all while yelling "For Kairi!!"

Ravu was completely astounded. Once the Keyblade made contact with the ground, a large wave of wind energy emerged from it. She could see it clearly, as it cut through the grassy field, eating away at the ground. The large wind force continued to cut through the ground until it hit the lake, where it sliced the lake right down the middle.

"…" Ravu just blinked in amazement. She couldn't believe he actually pulled off the Wind Slash. She looked over at Sora, who was still holding his position as if he was still releasing the slash. "Sora! That was absolutely amazing!" Ravu shouted, as she rushed over to him.

"Yeah…" Sora muttered, as he cracked a grin. He slowly fell forward and hit the ground, not even attempting to catch himself.

"Are you okay, Sora? I told you, you should have taken a break. You've just wore your body down." She said softly.

Sora peeked open one of his eyes and smiled. "Food…" he mumbled, with a slight chuckle. Ravu sighed and smiled to him.

"Looks like it just made you hungry." She replied, as she got to her feet. "Just rest here, I'll get you some food."

Section 18 Rambosan Base…

Olivia walked into the room and took a seat behind the large desk in the room. She put her hands on the desk and began tapping her fingers. She was nervous, having to report that the rebels kidnapped the _princess_, along with their second prisoner. It was hard enough dealing with defeat, but having to be yelled at about your failures wasn't going to make her feel better.

She sighed loudly, reached for the phone, and dialed the number to the main headquarters. The phone rang for a moment, and then a voice could be heard on the other line.

"Yes, may I help you?" asked a voice. The voice sounded feminine, so it obviously belonged to a female.

Olivia took a deep breath. "Yes, Colonel Bridges, reporting in abo-" the women on the other line cut her off in mid-sentence and began speaking again.

"Yes, Colonel Bridges, we've already been told about your incident at Section 18. General Robert has already been given the details of the matter." The lady implied.

Olivia's eyes widened. How did General Robert know about what had just happen moments ago? She couldn't have possibly made it back to the main headquarters already, could she?

"What did she say?" Olivia asked, as she continued to tap the desk with her fingers.

"She wants you to take care of the wounded first, and then head for Sector 5." The woman replied, as if reading off of something.

She stood up immediately after hearing her command. "What? Why Sector 5?" Olivia asked in confusion.

"I don't know, Colonel. But that is what General Robert wants you to do. If I were you, I'd do exactly what she has told you, no questions asked." The woman said.

Olivia sighed heavily. "Yeah, I'll head to Sector 5 as soon as I'm finished here." She muttered into the phone. Without giving the woman time to reply, she hung up the phone and sat back down in the chair. "Why Sector 5? There never anything going on there…" she mumbled to herself.

She decided not to think about it for too long, and then exited the room to help treat the wounded soldiers from the battle.

Kairi and the others….

Tifa rushed through the door of a small, stone-build house. "Hurry!" she cried, as she turned to urge the others to pick up their pace.

Kairi was the first to head through the door, followed by Aerith. Leon, Cloud, and Vincent guarded the door from the Heartless that had followed them, while Yuffie made her way into the house.

"Come on, you three!" Tifa called out, as Yuffie ran passed her. Leon gave a nod to the others, and then stepped back, turning to rush into the house. Cloud and Vincent quickly followed behind him. As soon as they passed the door, Tifa slammed the door shut. "That was close!" she said, as she leaned back against the door.

"What is going on here?" a voice asked. Everyone turned to see an old man sitting at a desk, in the corner of the room, reading a book. The man had a long, white beard and wore a blue wizards cloak, with a hat to match.

"Nothing at all, Merlin! Just playing hide-and-seek with the Heartless!" Yuffie joked. The old man, by the name of Merlin, looked over at Aerith.

"I see your mission was a success." He smiled, and then looked at Kairi. "And it seems you got something extra out of it. What is your name little one?" Merlin asked, approaching Kairi slowly.

"Uh…Kairi, sir." Kairi replied quietly, but the man heard her loud and clear.

"Ah, Kairi is it? Well, I'm Merlin, owner of this home here and a master in the art of magic." Merlin chuckled.

"Yeah, a real master at it." Leon said sarcastically, as he folded his arms and leaned against the wall.

"Now, what's going on here?" Merlin asked, looking around at the others. Finally, Tifa stepped forward and explained the whole situation. "Ah, so you were kidnapped by the Rambosan Army? And your friend is the Keyblade Master? This is very interesting…" Merlin began walking around the room.

Kairi sighed heavily. She wanted to go home, back to Destiny Island, where everyone else waiting for her. She wanted to be with her friends. She wanted to be with Sora…

"So, what do we do?" Yuffie asked, as she finally sat down in one of the chairs in the room.

"Well, there is nothing we can do right now. She'll just have to wait with us until we know what to do." Leon turned to Kairi. "Is that okay with you, Kairi?"

"Yeah, it's fine." Kairi muttered, as she looked at the floor. Tifa came over and placed a hand on her shoulder. Kairi looked up, teary eyed.

"Don't worry, Kairi. We'll get you back to your friends, I'll make sure of it." Tifa said softly. Kairi couldn't help but smile; Tifa's words had given her a bit more hope. "Now," Tifa stood up straight and looked at the others around the room. "What are we going to do about that base?"

"Well, we will probably need a plan." Yuffie implied.

Tifa blinked. "That's why I asked, Yuffie." She shook her head from side-to-side.

"It's simple…" Cloud stated, drawing everyone's attention toward him. "We attack while their defenses are down. The right time to do that is now."

"Cloud's right." Leon added. "It's best if we go on the offensive on this one. With Aerith safely here, we can go all out."

"Sounds like a good plan to me." Yuffie pumped her fists into the air. "Let's get to it!" With that, she charged out of the room.

"Kairi, you stay here with Merlin and Aerith, we'll be back shortly." Tifa implied, as she rushed out the door with the others behind her. Kairi replied with a simple nod, and watched them exit the house.

* * *

Greg: I know this is no way to end a chapter, but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do. Don't expect another battle coming up soon, if my planning comes out right where I want it to. Please, R&R and let people know about this story.


	9. Arc 1: Chapter 8: The Unexpected

Okay, so this chapter was a little...okay, maybe too far past due. I'm so sorry for those who have been waiting. Writer's block really sucks. Anyway, I can't really find a purpose for Brandon yet, nor do I know what to do from where I am now. I didn't really know what to name this chapter, so I named it The Unexpected, since a lot of unexpected things happen in this chapter. Nothing too serious, so don't get all eager to read it. Though, I had fun writing Riku and Olivia's parts. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. R&R

* * *

**Chapter 8: The Unexpected**

Greg and the others…

Tami and Rebecca sat in the dining hall, waiting for Jason and Greg to return with their new clothes. The two really weren't talking about anything, other than the latest fashions in the city and stuff like that. It was then that Jason returned, wearing his new garments.

His new garments really did not change from his previous ones. He wore a gray, sleeveless hoody, with a black, sleeveless shirt underneath. His lower body consisted of black cargo pants and a pair of white shoes. Around his wrists were black wristbands, and a silver chain hung from his neck.

He took a seat, looking as casual as possible. He did not even bother asking how he looked, because he honestly did not care.

"Wow, Jason, you're looking pretty nice." Tami smiled.

"Yeah bro, looking hot!" Rebecca gave her older brother a thumbs up. Jason grunted and rested his head in his hand, while they waited for Greg to return.

"While we're waiting, we might as well discuss where we're going to be heading after the Gummi Ship is ready." Rebecca looked over at Tami.

"Well, I don't know any other worlds are out there, Rebecca." Tami said, as she thought for a moment. "But it doesn't really matter what world we search first, they could be anywhere."

"Yeah, you're right." Rebecca sank down into her seat. "We'll search the first one we come to, how about that?"

Greg walked into the room, sporting his new clothes. His upper body was covered in a black hoody, with jagged red designs on it and a black shirt underneath. On his lower body, he wore black pants and black Adidas with red strips.

"So, how do I look?" Greg chuckled, turning around for them all to see his new clothes.

"Lookin' good!" Rebecca shouted, giving Greg a thumbs up.

"You look handsome." Tami added.

"What?" Greg looked down at his clothes. "You really think this is handsome looking? I thought that was when guys wear suits or something." He scratched his head and tilted it slightly.

"No, it doesn't matter what you wear." Tami replied.

"Well, thanks." Greg laughed and rubbed the back of his head.

"Okay, so now that you two have gotten dressed, I think we should head to the Gummi Garage." Rebecca stood up and stretched her limbs. "The ship should be about ready now." She said.

"Well, let's hope it is." Greg folded his arms. "I'm eager to get going."

"Yeah, we know." Tami stood up and stretched. "Rebecca, can you show us the way?" she asked. Rebecca nodded and headed out the room. Tami, Greg and Jason followed.

Rebecca led them out of the castle and toward a garden. The garden was filled with all sorts of flowers and decorations, to make it look beautiful. Some of the bushes were even designed and cut to look like the royals of the castle.

The young girl led them to a large, bush like structure, with a door. She opened the door and headed down the stairs, with her friends behind her. They walked down a long flight of stairs, before coming to a large room filled with all sorts of weird technology.

Greg and Tami looked around, shocked by what they were seeing. It was a place that only could be described by as a dream; they had never seen anything like it. In one area of the room there were posters of weird looking aircrafts. The aircrafts were strange looking and nothing like the aircrafts Greg and Tami had seen.

"This is the Gummi Garage?" Greg asked, taking another glance around the room. He was truly shocked about the whole garage thing.

"Yeah, this is it." Rebecca made her way to the control panel. "Now, let's see…how do I find the ship…."

"Hey, don't touch that!" Two chipmunks rushed over to her, out of nowhere. Rebecca removed her hands away from the panel quickly and hid them behind her back.

"I wasn't touching anything!" She exclaimed.

Chip began to laugh, while Dale went to the control panel. "Not this time, Rebecca! We caught you red handed!"

"Rebecca, what have I told you about touching the control panel down here?" Jason asked, folding his arms.

"But I didn't touch anything!" She exclaimed again.

"Yeah, she didn't touch a thing. I was watching her the whole time." Greg implied, as he walked up. He winked at Rebecca and gave her a smile. "Now, can we please get this ship so we can go?"

"Just…give me….a sec…" Dale pressed the final button and then looked through the glass. A large, black ship-looking thing rose up from the floor. It contained large boosters and several gun mounts.

"…Now that's a ship!" Greg shouted, staring at the guns.

"Alright, now you're all ready to go. All you have to do is get in and punch in where you're going." Chip implied.

"Right, we got it." Jason nodded to them and then looked at the others. "Okay, let's get a move on.

The four of them walked back and down a few flights of steps, before coming to the black Gummi Ship. The pitch-black door opened, revealing the inside of the ship. The interior was a mix of random colors.

"So, where are we headed first?" Jason asked, as he entered and sat in the driver's seat. The others followed and filled in the rest of the seats.

"We should head to the closest world." Rebecca implied. She stared over at Greg and Tami, waiting for an answer.

"Yeah, the closest world should be where we're headed." Greg leaned back in the chair and stretched. "So let's get going."

Jason punched in the coordinates. "Okay, we'll be heading to Traverse Town." Greg and Tami could feel the ship rumble a bit, before they felt it lift into the air. The boosters ignited and off they went.

Brandon and Selphie…

Selphie's tour was seemingly boring, more than anything. Brandon did not really care too much about what was on the island, he just wanted someway to get off of it. Throughout the whole thing, he wondered how Selphie could act so cheerful when she knew her friends could be somewhere, dieing. Unfortunately, he never got the chance to ask, because she would always cut him off in mid-sentence, as if trying to avoid the question.

After showing Brandon almost half the island, she decided to take him to the park, one of her most favorite places to be. The two of them sat down in the grass, resting their weary legs. They sat in silence for a while, before Selphie began to speak.

"So, how do you like the island so far?" She asked, looking over at the dirty blonde beside her.

Brandon shrugged and looked down at the grass. "It's okay." He glanced over at her, just as she frowned. "What?"

"The tour is boring, isn't it?" She asked.

"N-no, it's no-"

"No, I know it's boring. I can tell just by the way you look." She leaned forward, resting her arms on her knees and her head in her hands. "It isn't really fun without the others, you know?"

"Yeah…" Brandon knew it was the perfect time to ask her the question. Hopefully, she wouldn't interrupt him this time. "Selphie…how come you're so happy? Aren't you afraid that the others are out there, dieing somewhere?"

Selphie sighed. "Of course I am." She stood up and began to walk; the expression on her face was of sadness. "I feel so helpless, I can't do anything to help them. It's like I'm just stuck here, like a sitting duck, waiting to see if they will return alive or not return at all. I hate it!" She walked to a tree that was near by, and leaned her back onto it. "I want to help, but there is nothing I can do." She began to sniff, and tears began to form in the corner of her eyes.

Brandon stood up and approached her. "Don't cry, Selphie, we'll find a way to help."

She sniffed some more. "No, we won't. We're stuck on this stupid island, and we can't do anything!" A tear made it's way down her cheek. "And what if those creatures attack the island again, who is going to protect us!? We can't possibly fend them off!"

Brandon didn't know what to say, but he had to say something. Knowing him, it was probably going to come out wrong, whether he thought about what he was saying or not.

"…If it comes down to it, then I'll protect you, Selphie." He moved closer, placing his hands in his pockets.

"Brandon…" Selphie spoke, her words almost as silent as a low whisper. Her gaze sunk to the ground.

"I told Greg that I'd protect you all, and that's what I'll do." Brandon placed a hand under her chin and raised her head up. "We'll find our way to help them." He smiled, trying to reassure that everything was going to be okay.

Selphie smiled, another tear daring to escape her eyes again. Her eyes widened as Brandon's hand moved toward her face and wiped the tear away. She blushed as his soft, warm hands pressed against her cheek. Without knowing, she pressed her face against his hand and smiled again.

"Just know that I'll be here for you." Brandon murmured. The young brunette was about to burst into tears, knowing that he was willing to protect her. Her eyes closed, as so to stop anymore tears from escaping her eyes.

"Thank you, Bra-" Her eyes shot open as she felt his lips touch hers. The kiss was so tender and warm, causing her to feel strange inside. Her legs seemed to almost give out, but Brandon placed his arm around her and kept her in place. A small moan escaped from her, as she pressed her body against his.

Suddenly, Brandon broke the kiss, causing Selphie to fall forward slightly.

"I'm…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" Brandon began to back away, not sure of what just happened. "Oh man, I should go." He then turned and ran off into the other direction, leaving Selphie speechless. The brunette held her hand to her lips, not sure that the kiss had actually taken place. She could still feel the pressure of his lips on her, even though he was already gone.

"Was that…real?" Selphie asked herself, as she looked into the distance.

* * *

Brandon slowed to a stop, near the docks. He made his way to the edge of the dock and sat down; letting his legs dangle over the edge. He sighed heavily and looked down at the water.

"What…what just happened?" He asked himself, as he looked at his reflection. "Did I really just kiss her?"

His mind was racing with thoughts of the girl and the kiss that had just taken place. Why did he do it? He was pretty sure he did not like the girl, yet he made a move and kissed her. He was, what he believed, very confused.

Olivia…

"Quickly, wrap his leg in those clean bandages!" Olivia pointed out the white bandages that lay on the table, as she wrapped another patient's arm. She then looked at one of the nurses. "You, I need you to bring in a few pain killers and some more bandages!" The nurse nodded and scurried out of the room.

"Colonel Bridges!" A soldier saluted, as he stood behind the Colonel.

"What is it?!" Olivia shouted, turning to glare at the soldier. The male officer could feel chills go up and down his spine.

"Ma'am, we managed to retrieve all living soldiers from the courtyard!"

"Good, good." Olivia finished wrapping the patient's arm and stood up. "What of the Heartless?"

"They seemed to have followed the rebels back into the town." The soldier replied.

"That's even better news." Olivia grinned, as she headed toward the door. As she walked through the room, the floor began to shake. She stumbled to the side, catching herself on a wall. She looked around, confused.

"What the hell was that?!" The Colonel shouted across the room, hoping for an answer.

"Colonel Bridges, we're under attack by the rebels!" shouted a soldier that had just rushed into the room.

"Damn…" Olivia thought for a moment. "We don't have the firepower to fight back this time, those Heartless did a real number on us." She looked over at the soldier. "Send out fifty soldiers, just to hold them off. And just to make sure everything goes as planned, I will accompany them. While we're holding them off, prepare the ships for evacuation, got it?"

"Ye-yes ma'am!" The soldier saluted and then rushed out of the room. Olivia gritted her teeth as she ran out of the room and toward the courtyard.

* * *

It did not take long for the young Colonel to make it to the courtyard, where the fifty soldiers were waiting for her.

"Colonel Bridges, we're ready and waiting for orders!" Shouted the lead soldier.

Olivia walked to the front of the fifty-soldier army and looked out at the five rebels that stood off in the distance. Her eyes traveled back to the base, where she saw a large gash in the side of the building.

"That must be what shook the base." She said to herself. Her gaze went back to the rebels. "You got what you came for! Why have you returned?!" She asked loudly.

The male, with brown hair, walked forth. "We've come back to clean up the trash!" Leon shouted, as he pointed his Gunblade at Olivia and the soldiers.

Olivia growled, and then looked back at her soldiers. "We have to hold them off, right here." She told them. She drew her Katana from it's sheathe. "Go, attack!!" She shouted, pointing her Katana at the rebels. With a mighty battle cry, the soldiers rushed forward.

"Let's take'em down!" Leon shouted, as he and the others ran toward the fifty soldiers, with their weapons drawn.

"Here we go!!" Yuffie shouted, as she leapt into the air and hurled her large shuriken at the soldiers. Olivia simply knocked the shuriken away with her Katana and continued advancing, only to encounter Leon.

The young Colonel brought up her Katana, in order to block Leon's Gunblade. The two began to push against the other, until they both backed away.

"You're only a kid, no older than twenty." Leon exclaimed.

"Age is nothing, but a number." Olivia murmured, as she rushed forward and swung her Katana. Leon used his Gunblade to block the swing, and then kicked the girl in the chest, which sent her sliding back a couple of feet.

Vincent appeared before the Gunblade wielder and fired off several bullets at the Colonel. Olivia planted her feet in the ground and leapt to the right, narrowly dodging the bullets. Again, Vincent fired off more bullets. This time, Olivia deflected them all with her blade, sending the bullets in several different directions. The young Colonel smirked, as she rushed forward and attempted to attack, only to be stopped by Leon's Gunblade.

"Move outta my way!" Olivia shouted, as she continued onward, locking her blade with Leon's. She then lifted herself up, using her Katana, and leapt over Leon's head. She unsheathed her second, hidden, Katana and used it to swipe Vincent's gun away. Swinging her body around in mid-air, she managed to deliver a powerful kick to Vincent's face, sending the gun-wielder soaring through the air.

Spinning her body, she brought her second Katana behind her to block Leon's Gunblade again. The force from Leon's attack sent her flying back a few meters, in which she landed on her feet. With Olivia's first Katana in his hand, Leon spun around to pick up speed, and then hurled the blade at its owner. Without hesitation, the Gunblade-wielder followed through with his Gunblade drawn.

The Colonel ran forward and leapt into the air, doing a 180-degree spin to grab the handle of her thrown blade. She continued spinning, making it a 360-degree spin, and brought both of her Katana's down on Leon's Gunblade, sending sparks everywhere. The force from the clash sent Olivia back, once again.

"You're definitely skilled, I'll give you that." Leon said, bringing his Gunblade before him.

"You're not half bad, yourself." Olivia replied, swinging her Katanas through the air. "But-"

"Haaaaaaaaa!!!" Olivia turned and brought up her Katanas in a defense position, just in time to block Tifa's punch, which sent the Colonel sliding back. "Darn, you blocked it." Tifa tightened her fist.

"No Tifa," Olivia looked to her right to see another man, Cloud, taking down another soldier. "I'll be the one to take her out."

"You speak as if you've actually got the skills to do that." Olivia pointed her blade at the blonde man with the large sword.

"I've got more than enough skill to kill you." Cloud said, as he stepped forward and slung his blade over his shoulder.

"Well, let's see you try. I hope you give me more of a show than the last two guys." Olivia smirked as she urged the man to come at her.

"I'm not finished with you!" Leon shouted from behind her.

"Oh please, pipe down!" The Colonel snapped back, as she glared back at the Gunblade-wielder.

"I've had enough of you!!" Tifa shouted, as she sprinted at the Colonel and drew her fist back. Tifa leapt into the air and let out a battle cry, before sending her fist straight at the girl. Olivia brought up her Katanas in a defensive position, making an "X" with her blades to block the attack. She then pushed Tifa back into the air.

"Now I've got you!" Leon said. Olivia could hear his feet slamming against the ground as he ran toward her. Without even the slightest glance back, Olivia jumped straight up into the air to avoid his Gunblade.

"Too slow." Olivia chuckled, as she continued up into the air.

"Humph." She turned just as Cloud appeared next to her, swinging his mighty blade. The Colonel managed to bring up one of her Katanas to block the attack. As a result, it was knocked from her hand. Afterward, she immediately went on the offensive, slamming her second Katana into Cloud's Buster Blade.

The blades of the two clashed several times, sending sparks everywhere. Tifa jumped onto a soldier's chest and then pushed herself off, sending herself high into the sky. While Olivia was distracted, Tifa grabbed her leg and began spinning her around with all of her might. She then hurled the Colonel; sending her soaring toward the ground, head first. Olivia changed the position of her body in mid-air once again, allowing herself to land on her feet.

As her feet hit the ground, a small crater formed around her, causing a bit of dust to rise into the air. Olivia then stood up and smirked.

"Is that all-" She quickly brought up her Katana in order to block Cloud's thrust, as he had appeared out of the sky with such speed. The impact sent Olivia tumbling back and rolling across the ground. She managed to use one hand to get back to her feet. "You surprised me with that one."

"Damn it, I thought I had her." Cloud murmured, as he landed next to Tifa.

"Don't worry, we'll get her." Tifa tightened her gloves. "She certainly is a unique one. No older than twenty, and she can hold her own against the three of us."

"No kidding." Leon said, as he joined the three. He glanced back at the horde of soldiers that Yuffie and Vincent seemed to be busy with. "Yuffie and Vincent seem to have their hands full with those soldiers back there. We're going to have to deal with her." He motioned over to Olivia, who was regaining her stance.

"What are you three babbling about?" She asked, pointing her Katana at the rebels. Just her luck, her Katana then broke in half. The broken piece fell to the ground, making a metallic noise on the ground. "Damn…"

"Well now, it seems someone is defenseless." Tifa smirked, as she cracked her knuckles.

"It would seem I am." Olivia frowned as she scanned the field. She caught a glimpse of her other Katana, lying just behind the rebels. That was just great…

"Hey, one of you wouldn't mind tossing me my Katana over there, would ya?" Olivia asked, propping her hands on her hips. The rebels just stood there. "Didn't think ya would…" She tossed her broken Katana to the ground, next to it's broken piece.

The young Colonel began sprinting toward the three rebels. If anything, this surprised Leon, Cloud and Tifa. Not only was the Colonel sprinting toward them, but she had no weapon to protect herself with.

"You've got to be a fool, to charge us without a weapon to protect yourself." Tifa called out, as she stood in a boxing stance.

"Watch yourself…" Cloud murmured, as he brought his Buster Blade before him.

"Yeah, I know." Leon replied, as he drew his Gunblade once again.

The Colonel continued to sprint toward them, while the rebels just stood there, ready. Suddenly, Cloud rushed forward with his blade at his side.

"You're finished!" He shouted, as he swung the blade. Olivia moved with a newfound agility. It seemed that she had predicted his movement, as she ducked and delivered a powerful kick to the swordsman's abdomen, sending him soaring back.

As he flew through the air, Olivia appeared above him and stomped him into the ground, sending dust flying into the air and blocking Leon and Tifa's view.

"Can you see anything?" Tifa asked.

"No, nothing." Leon tightened his grip on his Gunblade. Olivia then burst through the dust with heightened agility, causing the dust cloud to disperse into the air.

On instinct, Leon brought up his sword to defend. Just as he did so, Olivia appeared before him and slammed her foot into his Gunblade, sending him flying back.

"She's a lot faster than I thought." Tifa said to herself, as she took a step back and prepared herself.

Olivia glanced over at the street fighting woman. "You guys are just too slow."

Tifa growled to herself, and then sprinted forward, throwing a punch at the girl. Olivia evaded the punch without much of an effort. She then spun on her foot and attempted to kick Tifa. Tifa managed to catch the young Colonel's leg. She spun around, spinning Olivia with her. She then sent the girl soaring into the air.

"Now I've got you!" Tifa shouted, as she leapt into the air after her. She appeared over Olivia and slammed her fists into the young Colonel's chest, sending her soaring into the ground below.

Tifa smirked as she returned to the ground. As soon as her feet touch the rocky soil below, Olivia appeared before Tifa, with her recovered Katana pressed against the street fighter's neck.

"You three are pathetic." Olivia whispered, as she pushed the blade against Tifa's neck.

"Go on…do it, if you have the guts." Tifa hissed lowly, as she glared at the girl before her. Olivia smirked and chuckled slightly.

"I'm not much of a killer, I do what I have to." Olivia gripped the woman's shirt and hurled her back, causing her to crash into an advancing Leon. The two tumbled back and rolled to a stop.

It was then that several large ships rose into the sky, from behind the Rambosan base. The ships hovered over the courtyard, with lights shining down on the Colonel and the Rebels. The sound of guns being loaded and cocked could be heard, as the soldiers aboard the ship aimed their guns down at the rebels. One of the ships, one that was lower to the ground, released a ladder that would allow the Colonel to climb onto the ship.

"Ha, it's been fun, but we must go!" Olivia shouted over the noise of the ships, as only twenty-five of her fifty soldiers joined her by the ladder. The rebels made no moves, because they could be shot at any moment. Olivia motioned for the soldiers to go on and climb, while she waited.

"Where are you going? We aren't finished yet!" Tifa shouted, as she stood up.

"Unfortunately, we are, for the time being. I have other matters to attend to, so I can't continue to play with you three." Olivia smirked, folding her arms.

Cloud made a move to attack, but several bullets that were fired caused him to stop. Olivia only laughed as she climbed the ladder.

"Next time, you won't be so lucky." Cloud said, strapping his Buster Blade onto his back.

Olivia laughed out loud again. "Next time, I won't go so easy on you." She said, as she climbed aboard the ship and looked down at the rebels. The doors to the ship closed and the ships took off into space, leaving the rebels alone at the abandoned base.

Sora and Ravu…

Sora's eyes slowly opened, revealing the sun's rays and Ravu's face looking over him. He smiled weakly and laughed.

"Hey…" He muttered, as he leaned up and shook his head.

"Hello to you too." Ravu replied, smiling all the while. Sora noticed the bag that was on her back and pointed to it. "It's the food." Ravu retrieved the bag from her back and sat it before Sora. "Okay, let's see…" She looked into the bag and stuck her hand inside. "We've got bread, some meat, I think, and some rice."

Sora stared at the Keybearer with a look of "uh…you're kidding me, right?"

"What, it's all I could get on short notice. If I would have left you for too long, the Heartless would have gotten you." Ravu giggled, as she placed some bread before the male Keybearer. Sora glanced down at the food, and then up at Ravu. Ravu just stared back.

"There is no way I'm feeding you." She laughed as she stood up. "I'm sure you've got enough strength to feed yourself. And if you don't…well I guess you're going to starve." She laughed out loud, picked up a canteen, and began walking toward the lake. "I'll fetch you some water."

Sora nodded, and then looked down at the food that was lying before him. He licked his lips and then began to chow down.

Ravu walked slowly down to the lake, following the trail that Sora's Wind Slash had carved through the field. She was still amazed at how he was able to pull it off, and one so powerful as to leave it's awakening by slicing the very lake in half. It was truly astounding how he was able to pull such a power Wind Slash off, in just a few hours of training.

"That kid has potential, probably even more potential than _him_." She said to herself.

She finally reached the water. The lake was still unstable from the Wind Slash that had shaken it, but it seemed to be calming down. She walked to the shore and looked down at her reflection. Her blue hair fell in front of her face as she kneeled down to get a closer look. She hadn't seen her own reflection in some time, but it didn't seem like she changed much.

"Seems like my hair is the only thing that has changed. It's grown quite long." Ravu murmured. "_They_ would surely catch me if they were to find me out here." She placed the canteen into the water, so that it would fill up. "Whatever happens, I have to get Sora with _him_. If I do that, then there is a chance that the Empire might fall."

The canteen was finally filled to its peak, and Ravu stood up and closed it. She turned around and looked back at Sora, who was still eating. She looked off into the direction just a little ways away from Sora. There, she saw something she shouldn't have…

The Rambosan soldiers…

"Crap!" Ravu shouted, as she watched the soldiers walk up to Sora.

* * *

The group of soldiers consisted of seven, all bearing the colors of the Rambosan Empire. With guns at their sides and swords in their hands, they approached the young, male Keybearer.

"Boy, what are you doing out here?" One of them asked, as he stood over the boy. Sora glanced up with his big, blue eyes, and mumbled something. "What was that? Don't speak with your mouth full."

Sora gulped down his food and stood up. "I said I'm eating, that's what I said." Sora scratched his head. "What are you gu-" He looked at the men and their garments. Slowly, Sora backed away, not sure if he was seeing them correctly. Suddenly, the Kingdom Key appeared in his hand.

"What the…?!" Another one of the Rambosan soldiers pointed his sword at Sora. "Who are you, child?"

"The name is Sora!" Sora shouted, as he stepped back again. "You-You're the ones who took Kairi away!"

"Kairi? We have no knowledge of this 'Kairi' you speak of." One of the soldiers replied. The soldier looked at the Keyblade. "You're going to have to come with us, boy." He said, as he crept closer to the youth.

"No way!" Sora shouted, as he swung the Kingdom Key through the air. "I'm not going anywhere with you guys! Tell me where Kairi is!"

The soldier continued to advance, until Ravu appeared before him with her Keyblade drawn. Her Keyblade, known as the Darkened Flame, pierced a spear of fear through all the soldiers.

"Yo-You!! It's you!! The trai-"

"Shut up!" Ravu shouted, as she attacked the soldier, causing him to fall to the ground. Ravu glanced back at Sora. "Sora, we have to go, now!" She shouted.

"No, these are the guys that took Kairi away from me!" Sora shouted in protest, as he tried to run forward. Ravu placed her Keyblade out in front of him.

"_If he finds out anything, then I'm in trouble. I have to get him away from this place."_ Ravu thought to herself. "Sora, you're not ready to take on the Rambosan Empire. You have a lot to learn before you just barge in and try to take it down!" She shouted. She stared at the soldiers before her, who were shaken up by her presence.

Sora frowned in anger. "But…Ravu…"

"Sora, we have to go!" Ravu shouted. "Just go, and I'll catch up!" She glanced back. Sora started to say something to protest, but the look in Ravu's eyes said otherwise. He nodded and headed off in the other direction. Ravu glared back at the soldiers.

"What are you doing out here?" She asked, tightening her grip around the Keyblade.

"We were told to scout out the area around here, that is all, Miss Hiraki." One of the soldiers said.

"You don't have to speak to her like that, she's a traitor!" Another soldier shouted.

"That's right." Ravu agreed. She twirled her Keyblade around and pointed it at the soldiers. "It's too bad I can't let you all go."

"Wha…?! Miss Hiraki!?" Shouted the soldier from before.

"That's it! Get her!" Yelled one of the soldiers, as he ran forward and tried to attack. Ravu moved swiftly, bringing her Keyblade up to block the swing of the soldier's sword. She pushed the sword away using her Keyblade, and then kicked the older male back. The soldier crashed into another, while the others just stood with their swords and guns now drawn and pointed at the girl. Ravu smirked, as she vanished into the wind.

"Where'd she go?" One of the soldiers shouted.

"I don't know! She just….vanished!" Called out the soldier that was thrown to the ground.

"I thi-!" One of the soldiers fell to the ground, revealing a large stab wound in his back.

"Damn it! Where is she!?" Yelled a soldier, as he began to fire his gun in different directions.

Ravu appeared in the distance, her Darkened Flame Keyblade slung over her shoulder. "You should know better than to mess with me." She laughed slightly and pointed her Keyblade at the soldiers. The tip of the blade began to glow a fiery color and steam began to rise from it.

"What is she doing?" Asked a soldier.

"Please, Miss Hiraki, don't do it!!" Pleaded one of them.

"I'm sorry, but I can't risk you telling _him_." Ravu's grin faded away as a blast of flaming energy emerged from the tip of her Keyblade. It soared across the field, burning the grass beneath it.

The soldiers had nowhere to run, as the flames of her Keyblade washed over them and burnt them alive. The screams of agony were all that was heard from the soldiers, as the flames disintegrated them.

Ravu's look was grim, as she lowered her Keyblade to her side and allowed it to diminish from her grasp. She sighed heavily and turned, sprinting across the field to catch up with Sora.

* * *

Sora slowed to a stop as he reached the edge of a forest. He placed his hand against the trunk of a giant oak tree and rested. He panted heavily and looked around.

"Sora!!" Sora turned to see Ravu running up to him.

"Did you stop them?" He asked.

Ravu nodded. "Yeah, I managed to slow them down." She looked around frantically. "I'm sure more of those soldiers are around here somewhere, so we better hurry." She pointed into the forest. "If we can hurry through the forest, we should reach the town ahead. Once we're there, we'll stock up on supplies and get a Gummi ship."

"….Uh huh…" Sora nodded his confused little head. "Well, let's hurry then." He rushed into the forest without another word.

Ravu stared back to where the soldiers were. She could hear voices, someone yelling. They had to move quickly, or the Rambosan soldiers would surely catch them.

"Sora, wait for me!" She yelled, as she vanished into the thickness of the forest.

Riku and Mickey…

Riku and the mouse of royalty walked through the, what seemed to be, deserted city of Agrabah. Upon arriving, the two had yet to meet any sign of life, other than the Heartless. They searched and searched, but were unable to find anyone.

Riku stopped and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He looked around, hoping to find someone. "Mickey, where is everyone?" He asked the mouse.

Mickey sighed as, he too, wiped the sweat drops from his forehead. "I don't know, Riku." His eyes scanned the area, in hopes of finding some sign of life. But there was nothing…

"I thought this was a city of royalty? What's going on?" Riku asked, as he leaned against the wall.

A small man rushed around the corner, running as if his life was in danger. He didn't seem to be looking where he was going, and ended up crashing into Riku. The white-haired Keyblade Wielder stumbled to the ground and rolled back onto his butt. He rubbed the side of his head.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" Riku shouted, as he stared at the man in the large hat that looked like a pile of bandages.

The man stood up and rushed over to Riku. "Oh, please forgive me! I am so, so sorry!" The little man helped Riku to his feet. "I was in such a hurry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

"Yeah, I noticed." Riku groaned, as he continued rubbing his head.

"Where were you headed?" Mickey asked, walking over to the two.

"I was headed to the Royal Palace, where the Sultan is holding a city meeting."

"So, that's where everyone has gone." Mickey murmured to himself. The little man seemed to hear him.

"Yes, that is where all of the towns folk have gone. Come. I shall show you the way." The little man scurried off, turning around once to urge Riku and Mickey to follow.

"We're coming, we're coming!" Riku shouted, as he and Mickey ran after the man.

* * *

It didn't take long for Riku and Mickey to find the Palace. The large crowd that led into the middle of the main street was a dead give-a-way. Before Riku and Mickey good get a good look around, the little man disappeared into the crowd.

"I guess he was really in a hurry." Riku said, as he and Mickey made their way into the crowd.

The Palace was, or what seemed to be, the largest building in the whole city. It was decorated like no other, and Riku had never seen anything like it.

Mickey climbed up onto Riku's shoulders, so that he could get a better view. His eyes scanned the surrounding area, picking out the tanned colored suits of the guards that were stationed around the area.

"This is bad, really bad." Mickey's look became one of worry.

"What is it? Something wrong?" Riku asked, glancing up at the mouse.

"Nothing…" Mickey looked up at the Palace's highest balcony, where a chubby little man appeared. His clothes were of a creaming color, and seemed to be high quality. At first glance, Riku knew Sora would have probably thought it was Santa himself, just dressed differently.

A woman with middle length blonde hair, sporting a tan-ish uniform, then accompanied the chubby little man. The woman's uniform was the first thing to grab Riku's attention.

"Mickey…" Riku said, as he waited for the mouse's reply.

"Yeah?" Mickey asked, as he stared up at the woman.

"That's the same uniform that guy was wearing the night he took Kairi away." Riku thought back to the event. He shook his head. "Do you think they're connected, somehow?"

"I believe so, Riku." Mickey sighed heavily. "If that is the uniform that the man was wearing, then your friend was kidnapped by the Rambosan Empire."

"Rambosan Empire?" Riku asked, his eyes scanning the area. He picked out several soldiers that looked like the ones that had taken Kairi away. "Do you think Kairi is inside the Palace."

"No, they'd probably take her back to their main base."

"But why would they want Kairi anyway?"

"I don't know." Mickey replied. "But it looks like someone is about to speak, so let's quiet down." Riku nodded.

The chubby man raised his hands up into the air, causing the crowd of civilians to quiet down. Everyone waited, patiently, for the man to begin speaking. Riku and Mickey were most eager to find out what was going on, or what was going to happen.

"People of Agrabah! It seems the ever-growing threat of those creatures, the Heartless, continues to increase! The number continues to climb, as more and more of them appear outside of our city walls!" The man, known as the Sultan, shouted. The civilians shouted in rage. "But we have finally found a new ally! An ally that we'll help of rid our land of those foul creatures!" He turned to the woman next to him, signaling her to step up and speak.

And so she did…

"Hello, People of Agrabah!" The woman shouted. The towns' folk seemed confused, as she began to speak. They had never seen her in the city before, making her a complete stranger to them. "I am Brigadier General Nuciear Blake, of the Rambosan Army! I was sent here to aid you all in the defeat of the Heartless!"

The civilians seemed to look at each other, questioning her words. Still, she spoke on. Her words were of hatred toward the creatures of darkness, words that neither the King nor Riku cared for. What puzzled them was why the Rambosan Army had come to this world. Certainly they did not know of Mickey and Riku's existence there. The young King began to suspect that something was afoot, and that they weren't just here to put an end to the Heartless attacks.

"Riku," Mickey whispered from atop the boy's shoulders. "Let's go. We cannot let them see us, not now."

"Gotcha." Riku nodded and turned to exit the crowd, until they heard a bit of commotion coming from the front of the crowd. Riku turned to see what was wrong, to find a little monkey jumping around on the woman's, Nuciear's, head.

"Get off, you stupid ape!!" She growled, as she grabbed its tail. The monkey squirmed around, finally breaking free. The little creature leapt from the balcony, landing in the arms of a bandit-looking man. "What is the meaning of this?!" Nuciear shouted.

"Sorry about that!" Shouted the man, as he pushed his way back through the crowd. "Won't happen again!"

"It better not…" Nuciear placed a hand on her neck, to check for the necklace that had always been there. When she couldn't find it, she knew where it had gone. "Cease that man!! He is a thief!!!" She yelled in rage, pointing her finger at the man as he disappeared into the deserted town.

The Rambosan soldiers cocked their guns and rushed after him, pushing over any civilians that got in their way. Riku and Mickey were pushed aside like rag dolls, while the soldiers passed.

"Mickey, I think we should help him." Riku insisted, as he pushed himself up off of the ground.

"No, Riku. We need to keep ourselves hidden." Mickey retorted, watching the soldiers scatter into the city.

Riku grunted. "If we do nothing, they'll probably kill him. We can't let that happen!" Riku pushed his way through the crowd, in an effort to follow the soldiers and help out the pursued man.

* * *

It wasn't long before the soldiers had the young man, and the monkey, backed into a corner. With their guns aimed at the thief's head, and the man having nowhere to run, things were looking quite bad for him.

"C'mon guys, can't we talk this over?" The thief asked, backing up a bit more. The soldier in charged stepped forward.

"Hand over the necklace that you stole!" He shouted, pointing his gun at the boy. "Or we'll take it by force!"

"No need to take it by force!" The thief waved his hands through the air. He glanced down at the monkey, who was hiding behind his leg. "Abu, give the nice men back the necklace, okay?"

The monkey squeaked something that seemed to mean "No way!" The thief understood him perfectly.

"Sorry guys," He said, looking at the soldiers. "But he refuses. There is nothing I can do."

"So be it! Open fi-" The man was interrupted by the voice of another.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you!" Called Riku, standing atop one of the buildings. The man stared at Riku for a moment.

"And who might you be, boy?" He asked. Riku jumped from the building and landed before thief.

"I would tell you, but you'll have to beat it out of me." Riku smirked. The man began to laugh, as well as his comrades behind him.

"AHAHAHA!! You really think we won't beat it out of you?! Look at you, you're defenseless!!" The man shouted with laughter.

"You think so? I wouldn't be so sure." Riku replied, still smirking. "Why don't one of your little roomies try me, I'm sure you'll be surprised."

The man couldn't get enough; this was truly hilarious to him. He pointed at a soldier and then pointed at Riku.

"Go on, show him." He said between laughs.

"Yes sir!" The lower ranking soldier saluted, stepping forth. He placed his gun into its holder and unsheathed his sword. "Come boy, let's see what you've got." Said the soldier, urging Riku to make the first move.

"No, ladies first." Riku chuckled, as he lifted his hand and motioned the soldier to come.

The soldier grunted. "Ignorant boy!!" He sprinted forward, bringing his sword over his head. "I'll show you not to underestimate the Rambosan Army!!" The, now frustrated, soldier brought his sword down as hard as he could, hoping to slice the boy's head in half. But before the sword hit Riku, a bright light blinding the man and he felt his sword clash with something else.

When the light faded, Riku was standing his ground, holding the soldier's sword at bay with his demonic looking Keyblade. The soldier was, most definitely, caught off guard by the appearance of his Keyblade, and his fellow soldiers were awe struck.

The attacking soldier backed away, his legs about to give out from fright. He had heard legends, even fairy tales, but had never really seen a Keyblade Wielder. He had heard that none were left, not even the Masters of the Keyblade. Yet, this boy was holding one in his very hand.

"Y-You….You! Who are you?!" The soldier asked, backing up toward his fellow comrades. "You have a Keyblade!"

"That's impossible!" The higher-ranking soldier called out, as he stepped back also.

"I wouldn't call it "impossible", since I'm holding one." Riku swung the Keyblade through the air. "Now, don't tell me you all are scared of me now?"

The lead soldier stepped up. "You're a cocky one, that's for sure." He drew his sword from it's sheathe. "But we're much more skilled than you are, in the arts of swordsmanship."

"Well, come on then!" Riku shouted, as he tightened his grip around the Soul Eater. The young Keybearer had gained some ability with using the Keyblade, since going up against the Heartless, but he wasn't good enough yet. And he began to second think about what he was saying.

"Alright, fine. Get him!" The lead soldier shouted, pointing his sword at the boy. His fellow soldiers swallowed their fright and rushed the boy, hoping that the situation wouldn't get out of hand.

The young thief watched, along with Abu, as the white-haired teen battled against the Rambosan soldiers. He was quite surprised that the kid could hold his own, and even manage to overpower several of them. And with a title like "Keybearer", he guessed the kid wasn't just going around swinging tiny keys at people. He got that title for a reason.

Though Riku seemed to be doing well in the thief's eyes, he wasn't so sure himself. Handling a group of soldiers was a bit harder than he had anticipated. Fighting Heartless was much easier, since those creatures acted on instinct alone. But fighting against soldiers seemed…a bit more troublesome, since the soldiers could use their brains instead of just instinct.

The young Keyblade wielder backed away, panting quite heavily. His grip upon his Keyblade tightened even more, as the soldiers stepped closer to him, feeling that they had the upper hand. Riku had to think, and think fast. He was outnumbered and growing tired. It wasn't like Riku to just barge in without thinking in the first place, and now he had remembered why. Because things like this always seemed to happen!

"You aren't so confident now, are you, Keybearer?" One of the soldiers asked with a grin of success on his face. The other soldiers had the same, wicked grin that rivaled his own.

"Don't worry, I'm still confident in my abilities." Riku replied, throwing the soldiers a grin of his own._ "Now, what was it Mickey said about the Keyblade? It holds a power of it's own, was that it?"_ Riku thought to himself, his eyes scanning his Keyblade for a brief moment. He could feel something strange coming from it, like some strange energy. He hadn't felt it before, until now.

"Maybe this is what he was talking about." Riku murmured to himself, forgetting all about the others for a second.

"Look guys, he's so scared that he's talking to himself!" A soldier shouted, beginning to laugh. The others began to laugh with him.

"Haha, you wish!" Riku began to advance forward, using his speed to his advantage. Though the soldiers seemed to have the upper hand in swordsmanship, they were unable to match up with Riku's speed.

The soldier quickly went on the offensive, trying to attack the boy. But with his speed, he was either able to dodge the attack completely, or simply block it with his Keyblade. While the soldiers were growing irritated, Riku was busy trying to think of a plan. He had only a short bit of time before he was to grow tired again.

As a plan slowly began to form inside of his head, he was attacked, by surprise, and knocked to the ground. Riku slid across the ground and his back slammed against the side of a building. His Soul Eater flew from his hand, landing a few meters away from him.

"Well, well, looks like this little game is over." The high-ranking soldier chuckled. "And this all could be avoided by just handing over the necklace."

"What are we going to do with him?" Asked a lower-ranking soldier.

"And what of the thief over there?" Asked another soldier.

"We'll kill them both!" Laughed the leading soldier. "Keep an eye on that thief and his pet rat, why I finish off the kid here." Abu let out an angry screech in retort.

"Abu, calm down." The thief said, as he tried silence the monkey.

"And keep them quiet!" yelled the leading soldier. He began to approach Riku, who was simply sitting there, quiet. "Well, cat got your tongue, kid?"

Riku remained silent…

"Oh well, guess it has gotten that yappin' tongue of yours." The soldier laughed, pointing his sword at the boy. He raised it over the boy's head. "It's been fun kid, but it's over now!" He yelled, as he swung his sword in a downward motion.

The sound of the sword cutting into the ground was all that was heard. Surprisingly, Riku was gone from his position. This shocked the soldiers, greatly.

"Where'd he go?" One of them asked, as he looked around.

"I'm right here…" They turned to see Riku picking up his Soul Eater. His eyes held a certain glint to them, one that held serious emotion. Surely, something was struck inside of him by his weak efforts against the soldiers.

"I see you still have a few tricks up your sleeve." The leading soldier smirked.

"No tricks." Riku replied, swinging his Soul Eater around. He glared at the soldier, who continued to smirk. "I just remembered something. I can't lose, not yet anyway. I have to find my friend before I actually, purposely lose to someone as weak as you."

If anything, that truly made the highest-ranking soldier angry. He grasped his sword tightly and gritted his teeth. "Boy, you better wa-" Riku ceased his sentence with a punch to the gut. He then drop kicked the man in the face, sending him crashing to the ground.

"Like I said, I can't lose to someone as weak as you." Riku turned to face the other soldiers, who were taking the defensive this time. Suddenly, another Keyblade soared onto the scene, knocking out every soldier that was still standing. Riku glanced up and saw Mickey standing on the roof of a building. Without a word, he leapt down and landed before Riku and the thief.

"About time you got here, Mickey." Riku smirked, placing a hand in his pocket. "What took ya so long?"

"I told you not to come running after this guy. Now even more soldiers are looking for you!" Mickey didn't sound so happy, but he wasn't mad either. To Riku, it was more of an annoyed, worried tone.

"Sorry about that, Mickey, but I couldn't just let them kill the guy." Riku allowed his Keyblade to disappeared, as did Mickey.

"I understand that, but don't run off like that again." Mickey turned to the thief. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." The thief replied, as he walked over to the two Keyblade wielders. His pet monkey, Abu, gave a small wave to the two. "Those are some interesting swords you two have there, mind if I see them?"

"I'm sure you saw enough of them just now. Besides, we can't trust you just yet." Riku replied, folding his arms.

"Why? Because I'm a thief?" The man asked. Riku and Mickey didn't want to, but they nodded anyway. "Well this thief has a name, it's Alladin. And I won't steal from you guys, you guys seem to have a good vibe about you."

"The name's Riku." Riku stated.

"And I'm Mickey." The mouse said, as he glanced back. He could sense the approaching soldiers. "We better find a place to hide. I'm sure they'll be looking for us once they find these soldiers lying here like this."

"I suppose I can help you guys out with that. Just follow me." Alladin took off in a sprint, into an alleyway. Riku and Mickey shrugged, not willing to question the man, and followed.

* * *

I hope you all liked it. It actually took me a while to write. After thinking about the main villians of the story, I had totally forgot about all of the KH villians. So...I'll try to bring them in, hopefully. I'll try to have another chapter up really soon. I'll try. And sorry for the lack of flashback, but they really served no point...so, there won't be any for a while. Again, sorry for the late update and I hoped you liked this chapter. R&R 


	10. Arc 1: Chapter 9: The Sixth

A month has past since the last chapter, and that is what I was aiming for. This chapter is a little longer than the others and I didn't mean for it to be. Not much action in this one, and the end was a little rushed... okay, so I reallllly rushed it, but bear with me. Anyway, here's chapter 9!

Chapter 9: The Sixth Keyblade Wielder

Sector 1, Main Rambosan Base…

A man, consisting of waist-length red hair, sporting an elites uniform, opened the door to enter his Superior officer's room. The room was much darker than others. It consisted of priceless paintings and ancient objects. One would think the room was designed to replicate a small museum.

In the farthest corner of the room was a desk, with a man sitting behind it. It was shrouded by the darkness shadows that the room provided, making it hard to see the figure's face.

The red-haired man walked in cautiously. "You wanted to see me, sir?" He asked in a shaken tone.

"Yes, I did." The Superior officer spoke. "It is of the princess, the one you captured on the world of Destiny Islands."

"What of it, sir?" The man asked.

"I have been informed that she has escaped, thanks to the vigilantes, in the region of Sector 18." The Superior leaned back in his chair. "Though it seems that she may still be in Sector 18, I want you to return to Destiny Island and make sure she is not there."

"But sir, I'm sure she-"

"Do as you are told, Mr. Blazer." The Superior stated firmly with annoyance in his voice. Mr. Blazer nodded quickly.

"Ye-Yes sir!"

"You are dismissed. You are to leave right away."

Mr. Blazer nodded and exited the room, leaving the Superior to himself, once again.

* * *

"So, what's this you have to tell me? Something about a Keybearer?" Tiki asked, as she slammed her fist onto the table.

Lonela looked up from her book and glared. "Keep it down, will you?"

The two of them were inside of a library, of some sorts. The room contained millions of books, so one would think of it as a library.

"Hell no! I've been looking for you, all over this place!" Tiki shouted, pulling a chair out and sitting down. She lifted her feet up and rested them on the table, making her more relaxed. "Now, spill it. What's this about a mysterious Keybearer?"

Lonela sighed heavily, knowing that Tiki would continue to bug her about the subject. And there was no use in lying, because she was going to report back to the Superior.

"Well, if you must know, there is estimated that there are four Keyblade Wielders; King Mickey, the two kids from the princess's homeland, and the _traitor_."

"What? The _traitor_ was a Keyblade wielder? I never would have thought." Tiki smirked, folding her arms. "So, is she the mysterious one that the Superior wants to know about?"

"No," Lonela shook her head. "It seems he already knew of her power over the Keyblade. What he doesn't know is that King Mickey is also a Keyblade Wielder. That is probably what he wanted to know."

"I see." Tiki stood up. "Well, that's all I wanted. I have to get back and let him know."

"Wait," Lonela said instantly, causing the General to stop in her tracks. Tiki turned around with a questioned look.

"What?"

"I'm not finished." Lonela replied. "Lieutenant Colonel Ganboia just recently returned from the King's kingdom."

"Okay…and? What happened, did baldy have some trouble there?" Tiki asked, as she leaned against the table.

"Yes, it seemed he did." Lonela closed her eyes, trying to think. "In his report, he informed us that he was attacked by two teenage boys. One, of which, wielded the Keyblade."

Tiki stared at her fellow officer with confusion. "Was it one of those kids? The _traitor_, maybe?"

"No, it was someone completely different from the others." Lonela opened her eyes and stared over at Tiki. "Ganboia said that he acted as if he had two personalities…maybe he is the one the Superior is looking for."

"Maybe." Tiki said. "But we won't know until we find out. Anyway, I'll report back to the Superior and let him know what I've learned."

Lonela nodded and watched Tiki as she left the library. Once she was gone, Lonela buried her head back into the book.

* * *

Mr. Blazer, also known as Brigadier General Fanix Blazer, walked down the long hallway, trying to figure out some way to avoid the island. He was most positive that the girl had not returned to her home, because she did not have any knowledge on how to do so. Still, the Superior had ordered him to go back and he had to follow orders…unless…

A young man, with thin, silver hair, turned the corner and proceeded down the hallway. His uniform was one that looked exactly like Fanix's, except for the lessen number of medals that told of his rank.

As the young man walked down the hall, Fanix formulated a simple plan inside of his head. He smirked as the man walked up to him.

"Hello, Brigadier General Blazer! What, exactly, are you doing just standing in the hallway like this?" The young man asked.

"Uh…Lieutenant Colonel Patch, you were just the man I wanted to see." Fanix replied, still smirking.

"Really, sir?" Patch asked with a confused look on his face.

"Yes, I've been looking everywhere for you." Fanix placed a hand around Patch's shoulder. "I need you to do a little favor for me."

"Yes sir, anything."

"I need you to go to Destiny Islands. The Superior ordered me to do it, but I have other things to attend to." Fanix lied. "You should take only a hand-full of soldiers, and bring your best equipment. The _princess_ is supposed to be there."

"I see." Patch placed a hand on his chin. "So you want me to capture the _princess_, is that it?"

"Yeah, that's exactly it. But she might not be there, so don't get your hopes up." Fanix replied.

"I won't, sir." Patch replied. "Now, I must be off! Letting you down is not an option!" Without allowing Fanix time to reply, the young Lieutenant Colonel rushed off and disappeared behind the corner.

Fanix snickered to himself, and then walked off in the other direction.

Kairi…

The young crimson haired princess sat alone. She had requested that she have some time alone, to think things over, and Merlin allowed her to use the small room in the back to do so.

The room certainly wasn't bigger than the main room. In fact, it wasn't big at all. It consisted of a small bed, a bookcase, a lamp, and a window with ripped curtains. The floor was made of stone, as did the walls, and the room looked, somewhat, ancient.

Kairi had taken a seat on the bed, which was slightly next to the window. Her back was turned to the door and she was staring outside. She had been thinking a lot about her friends, Sora, Riku and the other islanders, as well as her new friends, Greg and Brandon. She continued to think that Sora or Riku would come and save her. Greg and Brandon seemed unlikely to do it, since they had only recently met the day she was captured.

Her train of thought was soon broken as the sound of a door shutting made it's way into her mind. She blinked a couple of times, and then shook her head from side to side twice.

"They must be back." She stood up and headed to the door. She opened it to see that Cloud and the others had returned. Aside from the fact that their clothes looked a little dirty, they seemed to be okay.

Aerith closed the door and sat down at the table. "So, did everything work out? Is the base destroyed?" She asked, directing her question towards Cloud. The swordsman just grunted and turned away.

Leon spoke up, since Cloud obviously wasn't going to.

"We managed to drive all of the soldiers away, so there was no need to destroy the base." Leon leaned back against the wall. "And we ran into one of their elite officers."

"She was quite an opponent." Cloud finally spoke. "She held her own against Leon, Tifa, and myself."

Merlin, Aerith and Kairi's mouths dropped open. They questioned at how someone could be so skilled as to hold their own against those three. From what Kairi could remember, not even ten soldiers would be able to handle Cloud, but then one person held their own against him, Leon and Tifa?! Just who was this person?

"She was definitely skilled." Tifa added. "She had to be at least a General, or somewhere around that rank."

"Wait, this person was a female?" Merlin asked.

Leon nodded. "Yeah, she was probably around the age of nineteen, or so."

"A nineteen year old?!" Everyone shouted in awe.

"Yeah, she was somewhere around that age."

"That is remarkable, for someone of that age to be a General and have those kind of skills. It's truly amazing." Merlin rubbed his beard. "What did she look like?"

"Well, she had short, blonde hair and she wore a white uniform, which caused her to stand out from the rest of her comrades." Tifa said.

The description felt quite familiar to Kairi, she just couldn't put her finger on it. The white uniform is what really got her mind going, because she knew she had saw someone wearing something like that.

While the others continued to discuss the young, blonde-haired woman, Kairi was busy thinking. Suddenly, it came to her. She looked up at the others.

"I think I know the girl you three fought." Kairi muttered. She was most positive that this was exactly who they had fought.

Cloud raised and eyebrow. "Who?" Tifa asked.

"When I was trapped in the cell, I heard one of the soldiers calling her "Colonel Bridges". So, that would make her a Colonel." Kairi informed them.

"A Colonel?" Vincent asked.

"Not only is she not a General, she is a lower rank than a General! AND she is nineteen!! NINETEEN!!" Yuffie shouted. "Just think of how strong the Generals are!!"

"Calm down, Yuffie." Tifa placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "They probably aren't coming back here."

Leon sighed. "That's not necessarily true. If they are after Kairi, then they are sure to come back."

"Leon is right." Cloud muttered.

"Well, what do you propose we do?" Tifa looked over at Cloud.

"There is not much we can do, other than protect her." Leon replied before Cloud could respond.

Merlin placed a hand on his beard and stroked it slowly. "Kairi, didn't you say your friends might be looking for you?"

Kairi was caught off guard by the question. What did her friends have to do with those Rambosan soldiers returning to Radiant Garden?

"Yeah, why?"

Merlin closed his eyes for a moment, seemingly trying to think. "Well, there is a world where people are sent when their home world is overtaken by darkness." He opened his eyes and stared at the young girl. "I know your world wasn't overtaken, but if your friends have found out any info on where lost people end up, they'll head to Traverse Town."

"Traverse Town?"

"Yes, a place where those who are lost, or when their home world is overtaken by darkness, go to. If they are looking for you, they'll head there, I'm sure of it." Merlin looked over at Leon.

"I see, so we should take her to Traverse Town?" Leon asked. Merlin nodded. "Not a bad idea, we'll leave immediately. That way, the soldiers will be too busy retreating to notice my ship."

"If you don't mind, I'll be coming with you." Tifa said, standing up from her seat.

Leon nodded. "I suppose I could use a hand, if they try and take her back by force." He looked back at Kairi. "Okay, lets go. My ship is halfway across town, at the Gummi Garage." Without giving the others a chance to reply, Leon exited the house to head to the Gummi Garage.

"Let's get going, Kairi." Tifa said as she walked to the door. Kairi nodded and followed her.

Before exiting the house, she turned around and looked back at everyone. "I never got a chance to thank you all for saving me. So, thank you, everyone." She said with a smile. "I promise you, I'll find a way to repay you all."

"No need to repay us, kid." Cloud said, looking over at her. "We were just doing what we thought was right."

Kairi nodded. "Well, thank you," She turned and headed out the door. "And goodbye!" She called out, following Tifa and Leon down the road.

Greg and Others…

The young Keyblade Wielder moaned loudly in annoyance and banged his head on the back of his seat. "Are we there yet?" He asked.

It seemed like they had been flying in space for an eternity, which in reality was only forty-five minutes. He was quite eager to see a new world, to see what it would be like to live on a whole new planet. From what he had seen in the Disney Kingdom, the worlds seemed totally different from Earth, as well as the civilians. For as long as he could remember, he had been fascinated with outer space, and the mysteries it held. He had always dreamed of finding a new planet that contained inhabitants. But never, in his life, had he thought of flying through space, planet-to-planet.

As eager as he was to see a new world, and meet some of the people that inhabited it, he still had to find Sora and the others. It surely wasn't going to be an easy task finding the three of them, but he and Tami had to try.

"No, we're not even close, so just sit back and shut up!" Jason snapped, as he steered the ship past an asteroid. Greg muttered a few words and folded his arms.

Tami, who was sitting in the seat next to Greg, giggled softly. Rebecca, on the other hand, was asleep already. Jason had told them that ship rides make her sleepy, so she usually nods off within the first ten minutes or so.

Tami stopped laughing for a moment and looked over at Greg. She had begun to wonder on why he really left the islands in pursuit of Sora and the others. Surely it wasn't because they had become friends with each other. After just a day of knowing each other surely wasn't enough to just go out and sacrifice your life of them, was it?

"Hey, Greg…?" She asked, her voice breaking the silence among the ship.

"Yeah?" He responded, turning to look at her. "What is it?"

Tami felt herself a little hesitant to ask him, but she wanted an answer. She wanted to know the truth on why he came.

"What made you come after Sora and the others? Why did you leave the safety of the islands?" She asked.

Greg scratched his head and thought for a moment. "Well," It was true that he went after Sora, but he also went for himself too. He needed to find something, but he didn't know what he was searching for. And waiting on the islands surely wasn't going to help him find it.

"Well, other than the fact that I want to help Sora and Riku, I came to find something. Though, I don't know what I'm supposed to be looking for, but I'm sure it'll come to me in time."

"I see…" Now Tami was curious. What exactly was he looking for? Asking him that would be pointless, since he had just answered the question.

Greg didn't think too much on why Tami had asked him, because he continued to ask himself the same exact thing. He could never really find another answer other than 'I'm looking for something'.

He would also ask himself on why Tami had followed him. It was true that she had probably followed him to rescue Kairi and help the others, but he couldn't help but feel that there was some other reason, something she wasn't telling him.

"Tami, why is it that you came with me?" Greg asked, glancing over at the girl.

Tami expected him to ask that question. She had not yet found any other reasons other than that she wanted to help and that she wanted to be close to Greg. But she couldn't tell him that, not yet anyway.

"I wanted to help the others. I couldn't just sit back and watch as you went off to help." Tami replied, stating only half of the truth.

Greg nodded. "Well, that's a good enough reason, I suppose." He smiled and then looked towards the front of the ship, where Jason was piloting. "So Jason, are we any closer?"

They could hear Jason grunt from the pilot's seat. "Of course we're closer, but we're not there yet! So don't ask!" He snapped back. Greg and Tami just laughed.

Kairi, Leon and Tifa…

The Gunblade Wielder, Leon, led Kairi and Tifa through the town and to a large building, painted a ray of colors. The colors seemed faded and scratched away in some places, giving the building an old, rundown look.

"So, is this the place?" Kairi asked, scanning the building.

"Yeah, this is the place." Tifa answered. She glanced over at Leon, who was looking as "cool" as usual. "So, where's the ship?" She asked.

Leon sighed. "It's inside." He opened the door and proceeded inside, leaving Kairi and Tifa to follow in suit.

Once inside, Leon led them up to a desk, where a man was sitting. The man looked rather old and was wearing a dirty white shirt with a pair of overalls. He was reading a magazine, or so it seemed.

"Can I help you?" He asked, not looking up from his magazine.

"Old man, it's me." Leon folded his arms and waited for the man to notice.

The man looked up from his magazine. "Oh, Leon, what a pleasant surprise!" He placed the magazine down on the corner of the desk. "What can I do for ya?"

"I need my ship, is it ready?"

"Yeppers," The old man reached down, under the desk, to retrieve something. The sound of jingling keys came from underneath the desk, as he pulled up the pair of keys. He tossed them to Leon, who caught them. "There ya go, Leon." He said.

"Thanks, old man." Leon nodded and headed to a door on the right. Kairi and Tifa, who had been silent the whole time, followed him.

The door led to a staircase that directed them to the lower levels of the building. There wasn't much lighting as they tread down the steps, and it seemed to get darker and darker as they went on. The steps seemed to lead them on forever, until they finally came to a large door. Leon pressed a few buttons on a control panel next to the large metal door, and then it opened.

Once it opened, bright lights lit up the darkness. Kairi, as well as Leon and Tifa, squinted in order to shelter their eyes from some of the light. Since their eyes had adjusted to the darkness, it would take only a few seconds for them to adjust to the brightness of the light.

But, they soon adjusted and Leon led them on. The door had led them to a large, what seemed to be, hallway. Several abnormally large doors were on either side of the hallway, numbered one through ten. Leon stopped at the number seven. Another control panel was stationed beside it, and again, Leon pressed a few buttons to get it to open.

As the door slowly opened up, Kairi could see a strange object behind it. The object became clearer and clearer as the door opened. The object was an array of colors, ranging from the brightest yellow to the darkest red. To Kairi, it looked like something you would see in a comic book.

"So, this is it?" She asked, her eyes looking at every single detail of the ship.

"Yeah, this is it." Leon said, walking to the side of the ship, where a door opened up. He and Tifa climbed aboard, while Kairi continued to inspect the ship.

"Hey, Kairi, let's get a move on already!" Tifa called out.

Kairi took one more glance at the ship and then headed aboard. "Sorry!"

As the door closed, the floor began to move the ship out of its garage area and into the hallway. It shifted its position and pointed it at a large tunnel that was opening up. Soon enough, the engines ignited and the ship took off at speeds no other aircraft could reach.

Riku and Mickey…

Aladdin pulled the torn curtain aside and quickly glanced out the window. He returned the curtain back to its regular position and walked back over to Riku and Mickey, who were standing in the far back of the small room.

"We should be safe, for now." Aladdin said as he sat down on one of the pillows. His home, his hideout, wasn't much of what Riku had expected. Mickey had expected much, much worse. The pillows that were used as seats were beaten and dirty looking. The old rugs one his floor was losing their color, and his curtains looked the same as the pillows, beaten and dirty. If it weren't for the several small statues of gold, a few jewels and gems, Riku and Mickey would have thought he was a poor man.

"That's good." Mickey took a seat as well.

"This is a nice place ya got here." Riku stated as he looked around.

"I get by with what I can." Aladdin replied. Abu hopped onto his master's head and began to fiddle with the necklace that he had stolen from the woman before. Alladin snatched it from to get a look for himself, which cause Abu to jump up and down on Aladdin's head in protest.

"R…A? RA, what's that mean?" Aladdin asked, as he scanned the necklace for an answer.

"I assume it stands for "_Rambosan Army_"." Mickey replied.

"The Rambosan Army, eh?" Aladdin handed the necklace back to Abu, who greeted it with opened arms. The chip leapt from Aladdin's head and scurried into a corner, hoping that Aladdin would not take the necklace again.

Aladdin just laughed. "So," He glanced over at Riku and Mickey. "I'm guessing you two aren't from around here, judging by how you dress. What brings you to Agrabah?"

"Well, we-"

"We're here to rid of those Rambosan soldiers, and rescue my friend, Kairi." Riku interrupted the mouse.

"They have your friend? That sounds serious. Why did they kidnap her?"

Riku lowered his gaze. "I don't know, but I know they have her. And I HAVE to get her back."

Aladdin smiled. "Sounds like you really have a thing for this girl. Kairi, was it?"

Riku's eyes widened and he looked up. "Yeah, but I don't have a thing for her! She's just a friend."

"Don't get so touchy." Aladdin laughed.

Mickey decided to interrupt the conversation with a question of his own. "So, can you tell us what the Rambosan Army is doing here?" He asked Aladdin.

Aladdin shook his head. "No. All I know is that they are up to no good. If I had to guess right, I'd say Jafar and the Nuciear lady have plans of their own, other than stopping those creatures outside of the city."

"Jafar?" Riku asked. "Who is Jafar?"

"He's the royal vizier of Agrabah. He's also the guy who stole my magic lamp and ruined my plans of being with Jasmine." Aladdin's voice grew angry and he slammed his fist on the ground.

"A magic lamp?" Riku questioned.

"Isn't Jasmine the Princess of Agrabah?" Mickey asked, knowing he was probably correct.

"Yeah, she is." Aladdin replied. "And without the Genie of the Lamp, I can never be with her."

"What do you need the lamp for?" Riku asked.

"Because she'll never want to be with someone like me, a street rat." Aladdin turned the other way. Riku stared over a Mickey.

"I think we should help him." Riku whispered to the royal mouse.

"I think so too, but we cannot meddle in world affairs. He has to do it on his own." Mickey whispered back.

Riku frowned. "But if Kairi is being held in the Palace, we can use his expertise to get inside and find her. While after we find her, we can go after that Jafar guy and get his lamp back."

Mickey smiled. "You're a smart one, Riku." Riku smirked. "Aladdin?" Aladdin looked back at the mouse and the young man.

"Yeah?"

"We've decided that we're going to help you out." Riku stated. "If you'll get us into the Palace and help us find my friend, then we'll help you get your lamp back from Jafar."

Aladdin thought for a moment. It wasn't everyday that you ran across a couple of guys like these two that had special powers and what not. He smiled. "Okay, you got yourself a deal."

"Great!" Riku replied.

"We shall leave tomorrow morning. By that time, the soldiers should be finished searching for us." Mickey implied.

"Okay, that sounds good to me. You guys can stay here tonight." Aladdin said.

"Thank you." Mickey looked over at Riku. "Riku, get lots of sleep, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." With that said, Mickey lay down on the pillow and closed his eyes. Aladdin did the same.

Riku laughed slightly. Whoever thought that they'd be going to bed so early. Surely it was noon, or so he thought. But he hadn't slept in about two days, and he was pretty tied. He lay down on the pillows and looked up at the ceiling.

"Don't worry Kairi, I'm coming." He murmured as he closed his eyes.

Brandon and Selphie…

Brandon aimlessly walked down the shore of the island, his mind racing with thoughts of what had previously happened. He had kissed her, he had kissed Selphie, but for what reason? The only reason he could come up with, or that he wanted to be true, was that he kissed her to make her feel better. That's what he truly wanted to believe.

The kiss was a shocker to him, as well as to her. He did not remember moving in for the kiss, it was like his body had a mind of it's own at that moment. He began to believe that being left here, alone, was beginning to drive him insane.

"Maybe it didn't happen… Maybe I'm just imagining things…" Brandon tried to tell himself, but he knew he was only lying to himself. That kiss was more real than anything.

Brandon found himself staring into water, once again. The water seemed so calm, flowing as it always did, until a raindrop caused ripples to form. Brandon did not notice the first drop, but then more drops began to appear, some even landing on the bridge of his nose and in hair. He blinked as the raindrops pushed his mind back into reality. He tilted his head back and stared up. Rain clouds were forming and rain was starting to fall onto the islands, once again.

It was the raindrops that reminded him of the night everything went wrong, the night everyone left him alone. Though he had the others, he felt let out. And it was the rain that brought back that newly formed memory.

Brandon sighed heavily, letting the raindrops beat on his face. He decided not to bother thinking over it anymore; it did him no good just thinking about 'what ifs'. He gave one more look at the ocean, that wasn't so calm anymore, and began to walk off.

* * *

Selphie walked down the sidewalk toward her home. She had thought a lot about the moment she and Brandon had shared just earlier. The kiss was certainly an un-expected one, but it felt so right to her. She had become attracted to the dirty blonde boy when she first saw him, but she wasn't going to let him know it. Though the kiss would have given her the idea that he liked her, she was still un-sure. He seemed nervous after the kiss, awkward maybe. And he looked as if he had done it by mistake.

As she walked home in the rain, she tried to get the thoughts out of her head. But she couldn't. She wanted him, without a doubt, she just didn't want to admit it to herself.

She finally reached the porch of her house, which provided her with shelter from the rain. Her clothes were soaked from the downpour, and her hair seemed to be sticking to her face and neck. She held herself, shivering slightly. As she outstretched her hand to open the door, a strange sound entered her ears. It sounded so, so familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

The sound had come from the ocean, where a portal was opening. Selphie caught sight of this and smiled with joy. She sprinted from her porch, forgetting all about the rain, and rushed down to the shore. They had returned, at last. It seemed like an eternity since she had seen them, but they were back.

What came out of the portal wasn't what Selphie expect….

A large, tan-colored ship appeared from the vortex of, seemingly, darkness. It looked exactly like the ship that Kairi was taken away in, and the ship that Sora and the others had went in search of.

Selphie was in total shock and she was unable to move. She was scared stiff, literally. Why had they come back? Did they come back to kill her? She certainly hoped not.

A door opened from the bottom of the ship and a latter of stairs came crashing into the sand, right before Selphie. Too scared to move, Selphie just watched as a male, with silver hair, appeared from the darkness of the ship.

For second, Selphie smiled at the sight of the white hair. She thought it was Riku. But as the man continued down the steps, her smile faded away quickly.

"Little girl," The Lieutenant Colonel, Patch, muttered. "Tell me where the Princess is." Selphie was speechless. Her eyes looked at the ship once again. She watched as the same soldiers, that stole Kairi away, came marching down the steps.

"Little girl, answer me!" Patch shouted, stomping his foot.

Selphie was frightened; there was no other way to explain it. She wanted so badly to run, but her legs wouldn't listen to her. From the look in the man's eyes, he was already becoming irritated.

"Fine, if you don't want to answer me." He snapped his fingers, causing the soldiers to advance on Selphie. "Then I'll just have you killed."

"_I can't move..."_ Selphie's eyes widened with fear as the soldiers crept closer to her. _"I…I have to run, I have to get away from here…"_ She tried to move, but she couldn't. She couldn't even cry in fear, her body wouldn't allow her anything.

Suddenly, Selphie broke the spell her body had over her and took control. She turned, kicking up sand, and sprinted off as fast as she could. She could hear the soldiers firing their guns as her. She flinched and continued running, hoping not to get hit.

Patch was angry now. "What the hell are you doing?!" He yelled at the soldiers. "Get after her!!" The soldiers quickly began to pursue the girl.

"SOMEONE, ANYONE, HELP ME!!"

Selphie began to scream for help, hoping someone would hear her. But it wasn't likely; her home was on the opposite side of the island, away from anyone who would hear her. Still, she continued yelling. Someone would hear her, eventually…

* * *

Brandon sat down on a bench in the park, allowing the rain to wash over him. He stared at the ground. He had told himself he wouldn't bother thinking of Selphie, but he thought about her anyway. It was something that he couldn't get out of his mind.

"Maybe I should tell her it was a mistake." Brandon murmured to himself, as he stared at his bangs, which were dripping with raindrops. "She probably thinks I'm a jerk for kissing her like that…"

"SOMEONE, ANYONE, HELP ME!!"

Brandon looked up, wide-eyed. "Was that Selphie?" He stood up and looked around. The rain limited the distance of his sight, but he looked anyway. He could see a figure sprinted toward the park.

"Selphie?" Brandon murmured, as he walked toward the figure to get a better look. Soon, Selphie came into view. Her eyes were closed and she was running as fast as her feet could carry her. She stumbled a bit, but Brandon managed to catch her before she fell.

"LET GO OF ME!!" She yelled. "HELP, SOMEONE!!"

"Selphie! Calm down!" Brandon shouted, trying to make his voice louder than hers.

Selphie opened her eyes slowly. She stared into his eyes for a moment or two, before muttering, "Brandon…?" She was never so relieved to see him before, other than now.

"Yeah," Brandon laughed a bit. "What's wrong? You look you've seen a ghost."

"Brandon, they came back."

"Who, Greg and the others? That's great!"

"No, those people who kidnapped Kairi!"

"You're kidding, right?" Selphie shook her head and looked back. Surely enough, a group of soldiers came into view. The sound of the rain pounded against their armor grew louder and louder as they walked closer. Though it was raining, their armor still held a certain shine.

Brandon, without thinking, pushed Selphie behind him and glared at the soldiers. "What do you want?!"

One of the soldiers pointed towards him. "You, tell us where the _Princess_ is."

"Princess? What freaking Princess?!" Brandon stepped forward. "As far as I know, there is no princess here, so get lost!"

Another one of the soldiers leaned over to the first soldier, whispering something to him. Brandon backed up and was about to tell Selphie to run for it, until the armored figures surrounded them.

"What do you want with us!?" Selphie asked, almost in tears. She clutched the back of Brandon's shirt tightly in fright.

"Give us the girl, she knows where the princess is." One of the soldiers ordered.

"What? No I don't!" Selphie snapped back.

"Then why did you run from us?"

"Probably because she wanted nothing to do with you guys, now scram!!" Brandon shouted at them. His hands were shaking and he was also frightened by the figures. He couldn't think, his mind was racing and thinking ahead, not on the problem at hand.

"Give us the girl!" Demanded the soldier, placing his hand on his sword.

"No!" Brandon yelled back. He wasn't going to let them take Selphie; he made a vow to himself that he would protect her. He fought back his fear and stepped forward. "There is no way I'm letting you take her!"

"Grab him!" Shouted a soldier from behind.

Before Brandon could react, several of the soldiers grabbed him, holding him in place. He struggled and tried to get loose, but he was held down firmly. He watched in horror as another soldier grabbed Selphie, before she could run, and brought her over to the soldier in charge.

"Brandon!" Selphie called out, trying to break free from the soldier's hold on her.

"Let her go!" Brandon ordered, as he continued struggling to get free. The soldier in charge began to laugh.

"Are you ordering me around?" The soldier asked, approaching Brandon. "You should respect your elders," The soldier suddenly kneed the boy in the stomach, causing Brandon to cough and wince in pain. "Now, leave the boy and let's get back to the ship."

The other soldiers followed their orders and threw Brandon to the ground. The dirty blonde hit the ground rather hard, causing him to cough again. He could see the soldiers taking Selphie away as he looked up from the wet grass.

"No…I have…to" He pushed himself up to his knee. "But I can't do anything against them…" He felt so weak compared to those soldiers. He couldn't possibly take one down, let alone all of them. Still, he couldn't just sit here and let them take Selphie away. So, he climbed to his feet, his face and body were dripping wet.

"Where do you think you're going?!" He called out to the soldiers.

The leading soldier turned to his subordinate. "Take him out, will you?"

As if right on cue, Brandon tackled a soldier onto the ground and began to deliver punch and punch. The other soldiers moved quickly and pulled the young boy away. Brandon glared at the leading soldier, who was chuckling.

"You are quite the persistent one, aren't you?" He asked. He quickly kneed Brandon in the gut, once again. But he didn't stop the first time, he continued to pound on the boy. Selphie closed her eyes and turned away, she couldn't bare to watch. She could Brandon letting out small cries of pain.

The soldier picked Brandon up by his shirt and looked at him. "You are pathetic." The soldier tossed Brandon to the ground and laughed.

Brandon felt so useless, so weak, compared to them. Still, he wasn't ready to give up just yet. He stood once again, surprising the soldiers.

"Let…her go…" He murmured, his stare turning into a deadly glare.

"You really are persistent-" a blinding light that was emitted from Brandon's right hand cut off the soldier. "What's going on?"

The light soon faded and everything became clear again. The rain was still pouring down upon everyone, just like before. Nothing seemed to change during that brief shine of light, other than the fact that a Keyblade had found it's way to Brandon's right hand.

The Keyblade was rather large in size, but not too big. The grip of the Keyblade extended outward and around, connecting to the pommel, like most Keyblades. The hilt of the Keyblade looked, almost, like a piece of high-tech machinery. The blade of the weapon was long, sharp, and covered in worn out bandages. The blade also looked like a piece of high-tech machinery in some places. The keychain was of a metallic heart that glistened in the rain.

The appearance of the Keyblade sent chills down the spines of the soldiers. Selphie stared at the magical weapon in confusion, as did Brandon.

"You…You're a wielder of the Keyblade!?" Shouted a soldier, drawing his sword. "Stay back!"

Brandon smirked. He could see that the Keyblade he possessed struck fear in the hearts of the soldiers. He approached them slowly, the large Keyblade slung over his shoulder. "Let her go." He growled, glaring at the soldiers.

"I can't do that." The leading soldier replied. "Now, kill the boy!!" With several loud battle cries, the soldiers charged the new Keyblade Wielder. Brandon brought the Keyblade forward, preparing himself for battle.

"Stop!" Demanded a voice from behind the soldiers. As if ordered, the soldiers halted in their attack. They turned and retreated back to the leading soldier. A man with long, silver hair appeared from behind the group of soldiers, as if he had been waiting their the whole time.

"I see that we also found one of the Keyblade Wielders." The silver haired man implied. "Now, tell us where the Princess is, or else we'll end the life of your little girlfriend here." He pointed to Selphie.

Brandon gritted his teeth and clutched the Keyblade tightly. "I don't know what you're talking about." He replied.

"You don't?"

"No, I don't! Now, let her go."

"Stubborn, aren't you?" The man glanced back at the soldier and gave him some sort of a signal. The soldier nodded and placed his sword to Selphie's neck. Selphie closed her eyes, holding back the tears.

She had to do something; she couldn't just stay in the hands of these creeps. Brandon had enough things to deal with as it was. With that strange blade, surely he was able to stop them?

Selphie fought back her tears, and her fright, and elbowed the soldier in the gut. Though he was covered by armor, he didn't expect it and loosened his grip on Selphie as a result. The young brunette quickly rushed to Brandon, hiding behind him.

"Aww, isn't that cute?" The silvered hair man smirked. It was then that a soldier rushed up to him, panting heavily.

"Sir, we could not locate the princess." He said, finally catching his breath.

"I see…" The man glanced back at the other soldiers. "Okay, everyone head back to the ship and prepare for departure!"

"But sir, what about you?"

"I'm going to teach these two brats a lesson." The silver-haired man smirked and looked back over to Brandon and Selphie. With a nod, the soldiers headed off into the rain, toward their ship.

The man drew upon a whip, the weapon he mainly used to fight against others with. Brandon could have laughed at the man, if he wasn't angry for them trying to take Selphie away. The man seemed way too confident, swinging his little rope around.

Brandon pointed his Keyblade at the silver-haired man. "I'll make you pay for trying to take Selphie away, and for taking Kairi away!" Without a second thought, Brandon rushed forward.

He was confident in his abilities, as he slashed and attempted the stab the man. The older male simply moved out of the way of every attack, since Brandon's attacks were aimed randomly around. Even so, the young boy would not quit, not yet. He was most positive that he was going to stop the man, kill him if he could.

Brandon, in a since, was the one over confident. Being given the Keyblade, his confidence rose dramatically. Like any new wielder of the Keyblade, he thought that swinging his Keyblade around, eventually hitting the target, would just be enough to win. He was utterly wrong…

Brandon soon found himself lying on the ground, shocked at the turn of events. He knew then, that without a doubt, being the wielder of such a weapon did not make things as easy as they seemed. Still, he knew of nothing else, but to swing his Keyblade and hope to win.

He climbed back to his feet, while the silver-haired fellow chuckled silently. Selphie stood off in the distance, cupping her hands over her mouth.

Without speaking a single word, he charged the man again. He swung his Keyblade with the anger he held towards the man, hoping that, at some point, he would make a hit. Again, the man moved to the side, continuously, evading the attacks with ease. With a back-flipped, the man created distance between he and Brandon.

"Boy, you have no idea what you're doing with that Keyblade of yours." The man said.

"Shut up! Even if I don't know what I'm doing, I'm still going to beat you!" Brandon shouted. Again, his words came out wrong, as usual.

The man laughed. "Do you know who I am? I am Lieutenant Colonel Patch, of the Rambosan Army! You cannot defeat me!"

"We'll see about that!" Brandon shouted, gripping his Keyblade tightly and rushing forward.

"Yes, we will see!" Patch lashed out his whip again, causing it to wrap around Brandon's leg. Brandon attempted to cut it with his Keyblade, but was then lifted into the air and then slammed onto the ground. "You see, you're a weakling!" Patch laughed as he lashed it out again, grabbing Brandon's leg a second time. This time, he used the whip to hurl Brandon high into the air and then slammed him into the ground once again.

The young boy struggled to get up again. His body shook violently from the wet clothes he wore. Even with his adrenaline pumping, his body was still cold. He crawled to his hands and knees, watching the rain fall from his bangs.

"_His a lot harder than I thought… I have to-"_ Brandon's train of thought was broken as he felt the whip wrap itself around his leg. He quickly tried to stand, but was soon dragged across the wet grass and slung into a tree in the distance. Yelling out in pain, he lost his grip on the Keyblade and crashed into the wet grass below, once again.

"What a shame. The Keyblade Wielders of legend were much more fearsome than you." Patch laughed out loud.

Selphie rushed to Brandon's side, dropping down to her knees to check if he was okay. Brandon leaned up and coughed, the impact had knocked the air out of his body. He panted a bit and then looked up. He no longer held his frustration in his eyes. Instead, he held a look of sadness.

"Brandon, are you okay?" Selphie asked, placing a hand on his cheek.

"Yeah, I'm…I'm fine." Brandon replied softly, almost like a whisper. Truthfully, he wasn't fine. He had lost all confidence in himself. The new weapon he was given was nothing but an ordinary weapon, nothing more than a baseball bat or large stick. It did nothing to help him.

As Brandon tried to search for his lost confidence, within himself, he could hear something whiz through the air, something too familiar. Without turning around to see what it was, he shoved Selphie out of the way. She tumbled back and fell to the ground, just as Patch's whip wrapped itself around Brandon's body and pulled him away.

Selphie watched as the Lieutenant Colonel's whip towed Brandon to its wielder. Patch laughed as the new Keyblade Wielder was dragged lifelessly, like a rag doll, across the ground. Soon, Brandon was lying right before the Lieutenant Colonel.

"Now this is really pathetic!" Patch laughed, looking down at the Keyblade Wielder. "Is that the best you could do? I thought that Keyblade Wielders were supposed to be invincible!" The Lieutenant Colonel laughed again and stomped his foot on Brandon, causing the young boy to cough.

"Please, let him go." Selphie muttered softly, as she approached the man slowly. "Please…"

"Let him go? HA, I'm afraid he's in our clutches now." Patch placed a foot on Brandon. "Now, run along before I change my mind about killing you." He waved the young brunette off with his free hand.

Selphie cupped her hands over her chest and continued to approach the man. She would not take no for an answer, she could not allow herself to. She swallowed her fright again and gathered what courage she could. "No, you will let him go!" She demanded with force, her body shaking in fear. Patch raised an eyebrow and grinned.

"You want him, come and get him."

Selphie swallowed hard and quickened her walking pace a bit. "Fine, I will!" She said, her voice becoming shaky.

Brandon glanced up at the girl, watching her slowly approach his location. She was ultimately no match for the man, but neither was he. Still, he needed to do something, and he needed to act quickly. He could not allow harm to come to her; he had to protect her and the island.

Brandon could feel a new sensation swelling up inside him, a sensation that was allowing his confidence to return. As he felt his courage return, he glanced over to his Keyblade that was lying in the distance. Surely if it had appeared in his hand from out of nowhere, that it would appear again if he wanted it to.

He closed his eyes, trying to call the Keyblade that now belonged to him. _"Please, come to me… I have to save her…"_

He opened his eyes and stared at it, still lying in the distance. Disappointed, he tried again and hoped that it would come this time.

"_Come to me…"_ Brandon called out again.

Still, it continued to lie there…

Brandon began to grow hesitant and nervous. Selphie was still approaching, but her pace had slowed. He could tell that fright was taking over her body.

He closed his eyes again, now determined to call it.

"Please, Selphie needs me…"

A bright light began to shine from Brandon, which allowed him to break the grip of the whip. He rolled forward, his mysterious Keyblade now in his hand. Patch, who was in total shock, just stared in awe.

"How'd you break free?!" He asked, withdrawing his whip to his side.

Brandon turned to Selphie, ignoring Patch's question. "Selphie, don't ever do that again! You could be killed!" He yelled at her. Selphie's gaze lowered and she began to sniff. It was hard to tell whether she was crying, or if the rain was making it seem like she was.

"I-I'm sorry." She sniffed. "B-But, I didn't know what else to do." Brandon didn't reply for the moment, but instead turned to face Patch once again.

"Selphie, go."

Selphie looked up, wide-eyed. He couldn't be serious, right?

"What?!" She exclaimed. "No, I won't leave you here, alone!"

"Just go, I'll be right behind you." Brandon's grip around his Keyblade tightened, as he glare became a deadly one.

Selphie knew there was no way to make him come with her. He was right, after all. If she were to stay, she would surely be in his way.

"Fine," Selphie replied softly. Brandon was barely able to hear her over the sound of the rain. "But you better be right behind me." Then Selphie turned and began making her way to safety, leaving Brandon to fight the Lieutenant Colonel.

"You must be pretty confident to fight me alone." Patch hissed with a smirk. Brandon wasted no breath in speaking to him, but charged forward instead. His movements were quick, quick enough to catch the Lieutenant Colonel off guard. Patch stepped back and brought forth a dagger, which he used to block Brandon's attack.

The young Keyblade Wielder planted his feet firmly into the ground and began to push forward, swinging his Keyblade violently and quickly. Patch, in a state of shock, was barely able to defend himself from the quick and powerful swings. Though, he managed to block every swing, it was becoming difficult for him. Still, he couldn't defend forever…

Patch leapt back, farther away from Brandon's reach. As Brandon rushed towards him again, Patch did the same. The Lieutenant Colonel moved quicker than the Keyblade Wielder, catching Brandon off-guard. He brought his small, thin dagger forward in a thrust, hoping to stab the boy in his heart and kill him quickly. As though he had gained some sort of power up that increased his abilities, Brandon vanished before the dagger even made contact. He reappeared behind Patch and elbowed him in the spine.

"Damn!" Patch shouted, stumbling forward. As he turned around, Brandon slammed the Keyblade into his stomach, sending him soaring through the air and crashing to the ground. Patch slowly began to get back to his feet, immediately after landing on the ground. It was then that Brandon appeared above him, in the air. With a loud battle cry, Brandon soared down and slammed his Keyblade into the Lieutenant Colonel's chest, sending a shockwave of power throughout the area. Mud and water flew up around the two, into the air. The ground could be heard cracking from the force of the attack.

Brandon stood up and jumped back, his Keyblade still tightly in his hand. He glared at the area he had pummeled Patch into ground, trying to catch glimpse of any movement. The Rambosan officer stood up, stumbling as he did. He was breathing heavily, been having had the wind knocked out of him.

"What's going on?" Patch asked, trying to keep his balance. He could feel his body growing heavy; it was beginning to strain him just to stand. _"I have to get out of here…"_ Patch thought to himself. Brandon said nothing, but instead charged forward again. Patch quickly drew a gun from under his coat and shot at Brandon. Immediately, Brandon rolled to the side to dodge. As he stood back up, he found that Patch was gone.

"He ran?" Brandon asked himself, looking around. He waited a couple of minutes, but nothing happen. "He really ran? Well, that's no surprise, I am-" He stumbled forward, quickly using the Keyblade to catch himself. The pain from the battle was finally catching up to his body, and it wasn't a pleasant feeling. He began to cough and covered his mouth, scared of coughing up blood.

His vision began to blurry and the Keyblade wasn't sturdy enough to support him. He fell over onto the wet ground, losing consciousness.

Sora and Ravu…

Hours seemed to fly by as Ravu and Sora retreated deeper and deeper into the forest. The sky was barely visible, making it seem like the night had already come. Sora was beginning to worry that they were lost, but Ravu continued to tell him that she knew where she was going. He had no other choice but to believe her and her sense of direction.

It wasn't long before the two of them stopped for another break. Sora took a seat on the ground, leaning back against a tree, while Ravu scouted the area out.

"Ravu, where exactly are we going?" Sora asked, looking over at the girl who was standing in a tree. She leapt down and landed before him.

"We're going to get a Gummi Ship, I thought I told you that." Ravu replied.

Sora blinked in confusion, but nodded anyway. "Oh yeah…that's right…" He said, pretending to know what she was talking about. "So then, why are we running through this forest?"

"Because…" Ravu paused a moment, looking around. "More of those soldiers would catch us if we continued running through that field. And we have to go onto their territory anyway, to get the ship, so we have to be cautious and sneaky."

"Wait…why are we running away from them?!" Sora shouted. He jumped to his feet and began to head back in the direction that had just come from.

"Where are you going?" Ravu asked, folding her arms.

"I'm going to find Kairi. If anyone knows where she is, they do!" Sora shouted. Before he could go any further, Ravu appeared before him, her arms still crossed. Sora attempted to go around her, but she only blocked his way. "Get out of my way, I have to find Kairi!"

"Don't you think I know that?" Ravu asked, staring into his eyes. "If you go back now, they will kill you. Why can't you understand that? You are not ready to take them on yet."

"…" Sora said nothing.

"Sora, I want to make sure you're ready before I let you go up against them alone. If you barge into one of their bases like you are now, you'll be killed without much of an effort." Ravu placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure Kairi wants to be saved, but I'm also sure she wants you alive and kicking too."

"Yeah, I guess you're right…" Sora murmured. He began to wonder whether the Rambosan Army was really as strong as Ravu was making them out to be. If so, then he really didn't stand a chance against them.

"We should go." Ravu turned and began heading in the direction they were before. "Let's go, we have to get there before nightfall. Once there, we'll wait until morning and then snatch us a ship."

"Snatch us a ship? What's that supposed to mean?" Sora asked, jogging to catch up to her.

"Oh, you'll see when we get there." Ravu chuckled.

Traverse Town…

Jason brought the Gummi Ship down into the Gummi Hanger and landed it there. The Gummi Hanger consisted of three floors since people would often travel to this planet to escape the fall of their own planet. Jason parked the ship on the first level, the closet level to the ground.

The sun was already beginning to set and it would seem that they would have to stay the night at a hotel, before going out and searching for any of their friends. If they were lucky, they would probably run into someone they knew in the hotel. But since luck wasn't quite on their side, they did not think it was likely to happen.

Rebecca was the first to exit the Gummi Ship, followed by the others. Her limitless energy had been restored by the little nap she had taken on the trip over. Jason shook his head from side to side, watching his sister scurry around the area.

"So, where do we go from here?" Greg asked, folding his arms. "I don't think it'll do us any good to be searching in the dark."

"You're right about that." Jason responded, as he headed toward the exit. "We should find a place to stay. We'll start our search in the morning."

"Sounds good to me." Tami said, as she, Greg and Rebecca followed.

"Uh…." Greg glanced over to Rebecca, who was chatting away about nothing. "Won't Rebecca be up all night? You know, with all this energy?"

"Probably, but I wouldn't worry too much about it. Her energy is nearly limitless." Jason chuckled.

"Is that so?" Tami asked with a giggle of her own.

* * *

On the other side of the Gummi Hanger, three familiar faces were exiting a Gummi Ship of their own; Leon, Tifa, and Kairi. The trip to Traverse Town was relatively short to Kairi, since she slept through the whole thing. With the ship docked, they could now begin their search for Kairi's friends.

Exiting the Gummi Hanger, Kairi got her first look at the town. It was quite different from Hollow Bastion. But then again, Kairi had not really seen Hollow Bastion to begin with. From her perspective, Traverse Town was a lot darker, scarier than Hollow Bastion. It held a feeling of fear about it, fear and darkness. Something just didn't fit right about this town. Why would her friends even look here for her?

"This is Traverse Town?" Kairi asked Leon and Tifa, just to be sure.

"Yeah, this is it." Leon replied, folding his arms. They stood just outside of the hanger, looking around. "Not what you expected?"

"No, it's nothing like I expected." Kairi said.

"I expected different too, when I first came here. But you get used to it, after a while." Tifa added.

"Well, that's enough site-seeing, let's go see Cid, maybe he has seen your friends." Leon pointed at one of the stores. Just as he did, four people exited the store and walked off in the opposite direction. "Who are they?" He looked over at Kairi. "Did any of them look like your friends?"

Kairi shook her head. "I didn't really get to see their faces."

"Oh well, it probably wasn't them anyway." Tifa shrugged. "Let's go see Cid."

* * *

"Okay, so where was that hotel again?" Rebecca asked, looking around at the different buildings.

"That guy, Cid, said it was in the Second District. I think we're still in the first though." Tami said, taking a look around.

"He also said we should watch out for those Heartless things, right?" Greg glanced over at Jason, just to be sure.

"Yeah, that's right. He also said that we should stay away from the Third District." Jason added.

Rebecca stared up at the sign reading "Hotel" in bright, yellow letters. "We've found the hotel, at least." The young girl rushed over to the stairs leading to the hotel doors. "C'mon!"

Jason turned to his sister and smiled. "Just slow your roll, I'm sure there are plenty of-"

Just as Jason was about to finish the sentence, the hotel doors flew open, knocking Rebecca back and down the stairs. She landed on her back and rolled to her stomach.

"Ouch…" She moaned.

"What the..?!" Greg stared into the doorway, waiting for something to emerge.

"Something doesn't seem right…" Tami whispered to him.

It was then that small black creatures, with glowing yellow eyes, began to flood out of the door. As they did so, Greg's Keyblade appeared in his hand, confusing him.

"Just what is going on?!" Greg exclaimed, backing up slowly.

"I don't know, but it isn't good." Tami added, as she backed up, her back against Greg's. Jason backed up as well, bringing out his Buster Sword.

"Where's Rebecca?" Jason asked, watching the black creatures surround them.

"Jason!? Help!!" Rebecca's voice cried out over the horde of creatures. Jason, Greg and Tami caught a glimpse of the young girl, just as several of the black creatures carried her off into the hotel.

"Rebecca!" Jason yelled, as he made a dash for the stairs. Before he could reach them, the black creatures cut him off. "Damn these Heartless!" Jason shouted, as he jumped back.

"So these are the Heartless?" Greg brought the Keyblade before him, gripping it tightly. He glanced back at Tami, just to grab her attention. "Stay behind us, okay?"

"I can handle myself." Tami replied, as she brought out her bow and arrows. Greg only smiled.

"If you say so."

* * *

"I see. So the Keyblade Wielders are beginning to surface, eh?" A man with short, spiky blonde hair, said. The man wore a white shirt with blue pants and black boots.

"That's right, Cid." Leon said, as he leaned against the wall. The man, named Cid, sat down at one of the tables in the room. "So, tell me, have you had any customers? Kids perhaps?"

Cid rubbed his chin, trying to think back. "Now that you mention it, I did have some little brats come in just before you three arrived. About four of them, I believe."

Kairi's eyes lit up with joy. Could one of them have been Sora? Or maybe Riku?! She knew it was someone she would know, but why were there four of them? Did Sora and Riku meet someone else?

"What did they look like?" Tifa asked.

"Well, there were two boys and two girls, I think. One of the boys had short, black hair. The other had long, spiky black hair." Cid continued to rub his chin. "Yeah, and one of the girls had blonde hair that went to her neck. Green eyes, I think she had. And then there was the little energetic girl. She was shorter than the others. She had long black hair."

Tifa glanced over at Kairi. "Recognize any of them?"

"Just one, but I don't think any of them are the people I'm looking for." Kairi gazed down at the floor.

"Don't worry, Kairi, we'll find them, don't you worry."

"Where were they headed?" Leon asked.

"Said something about needing a place to stay and searching for someone in the morning. I told them to go to the Second District, that's where the hotel is." Cid rubbed his chin once more. "I hope those kids are okay. The Heartless have really been acting up lately, probably cause of the Keyblade showing up."

"Yeah, well, we'll head on over to the Second District. It's better that we see them for ourselves." Leon said, walking towards the door.

"Come on, Kairi, we're going to the Second District." Tifa said, standing up. Kairi nodded and followed the two out of the store.

* * *

"Get out of the way!" Jason yelled at the Heartless, as he swung his Buster Sword around, cutting down the creatures.

Greg brought the Amulet of Promise down on the head of a small Heartless, and then he jumped back to avoid the claws of two others. An arrow flew by his face as he did so, piercing one of the Heartless between the eyes.

"Thanks!" Greg called back to Tami.

"Looks like you're the one who needs to stay behind me!" Tami called back with a laugh.

Greg grumbled something and leapt back, away from the Heartless. "We need to get to Rebecca, she needs our help." He said to Tami.

"Let Jason worry about his sister, we'll hold these things off for him." Tami implied, as she fired off another arrow. The two of them now stood back to back, once again.

"Out of my way!!" Jason yelled again, as he slammed his sword into the body of a large Heartless, causing it to disperse into a black mist. He leapt back and prepared to unleash his next attack.

Greg's eyes widened when he saw Jason's sword began to glow an eerie blue. "Tami, we should run."

"Wha…? Why?" Tami asked, glancing back at him.

"AHHHHH!!" Jason yelled, as he slammed his Buster Sword into the ground, sending a sharp wave of energy into the crowd of Heartless, and towards Greg and Tami.

Without thinking, Greg pushed Tami to the ground. Then, he jumped back, narrowly avoiding the sharp wave of energy that ripped through the Heartless.

"Hey, what-?!" Tami saw as the wave of energy sliced through the ground, tearing apart the Heartless.

"Sorry, but I had to do something." Greg said, as he walked over and helped Tami to her feet.

"Did you have to push me so hard?" Tami asked, rubbing her butt.

"I said sorry." Greg laughed. He then turned to Jason. "Hey, Jason…?" He watched as Jason raced up the stairs and into the hotel building. "Okay then…"

"Greg, they're back." Tami said to him, drawing his attention back to the regrouping Heartless.

"Great!" Greg shouted sarcastically. Just as he said that word, two figures appeared and finished off the regrouping Heartless. "You've got to be kidding me…" The Keybearer murmured to himself, as he witnessed how easy the two figures finished off the Heartless.

"Hey, you two okay?" Leon asked, placing his Gunblade over his shoulder.

"Yeah, we're fine. Thanks!" Tami smiled.

"You two shouldn't be out here by yourselves….wait, is that the Keyblade?" Tifa asked, pointing at the strange sword in Greg's hands.

Greg glanced down at the Amulet of Promise, and then at the two adults before him. "Yeah."

"Your name isn't Sora, is it? Or Riku, maybe?" Leon asked.

Greg and Tami exchanged glances.

"No, I'm Greg. And this is Tami." Greg replied, raising an eyebrow. "How do you know Sora and Riku?"

"We don't." Tifa said, folding her arms. "But since you have the Keyblade, we thought that you were one of them."

"I guess you don't know where they are then?" Tami asked. Leon and Tifa shook their heads.

"Well, how about a girl named Kairi?" Greg asked.

This time, Leon and Tifa exchanged glances.

"Yeah, we kn-"

"Hey, Leon, is it okay to come out now!?" Shouted a voice from behind one of the buildings.

Leon shook his head from side to side. "I told her to keep quiet until we made sure everything is okay…"

"Well, her cover is blown now." Tifa turned to the direction of the voice. "Come on out, Kairi!"

"Kairi?" Tami asked.

Kairi made her way out, from behind the building. She ran over to the group. "Is everyone okay?" She looked at everyone, and then focused on Tami and Greg. "Tami? Greg?"

"Kairi?" Greg and Tami asked in union. Without a signal, Kairi latched onto Tami, giving her a hug.

"I can't believe it's you guys!" She shouted.

Greg smiled. "We're gla-" Kairi then gave Greg a hug, causing him to stop mid-sentence.

"What are you two doing here?" Kairi asked, withdrawing from the hug.

"Well, we were looking for you, Sora and Riku, so we came here." Greg implied.

"So you're looking for Sora and Riku, too?"

Greg and Tami nodded their heads.

"Well Kairi, it looks like you've found some of your friends." Tifa said with a smile.

"We'll leave her with you. We have to get back to Hollow Bastion." Leon added.

Kairi turned around to face them. "But, aren't you going to help me look for Sora and Riku?"

"We could, but we have things to do back at Hollow Bastion. Besides, you have Greg and Tami with you now. You three we'll be fine without us." Tifa implied. "Well, we better be off." She gave a wave and headed towards the First District.

"Who knows, we might cross paths again, someday soon." Leon said, as he gave a small wave and followed Tifa.

"Goodbye!! And thanks!!" Kairi yelled to them, waving her hands through the air. She continued to wave until she couldn't see the two anymore. Afterwards, she turned her attention back to Greg and Tami. "So, how did you guys get here anyway?"

"Well, after those guys kidnapped you-!" Greg quickly turned towards the hotel. Jason had yet to return with Rebecca. "We'll talk later, right now we have to help Jason!"

Kairi raised an eyebrow. "Jason? Who is that?" Before she got an answer, Greg darted up the stairs and into the hotel. "Wait! Greg!"

"I'll explain everything later." Tami grabbed Kairi by the arm and pulled her up the stairs and into the hotel.

* * *

In the back alley, behind the hotel, Jason was facing off with the Heartless that had taken Rebecca away. He had managed to destroy the lesser Heartless, but he was having trouble with the elite, known as Darkside.

The large Heartless, Darkside, held Rebecca tightly in his left hand, while he battled Jason with his right. The large creature's attacks were quite slow, but un-expected in some cases.

Jason leapt to his left, dodging Darkside's right hand. As his feet landed on the ground, he pushed upward and sent himself flying directly towards Darkside's left hand. Darkside quickly attempted to bring up his fight fist. As he did, Jason used his Buster Sword to slice through it, causing Darkside to screech in pain. As a result, he used his left fist and backhanded Jason into the wall, opposite of the back of the hotel.

Jason gritted his teeth as his body took on the full force of the impact. He thought that Darkside would release him afterwards, but he was wrong. Darkside continued to use the backside of his left fist to crush Jason against the wall.

"Jason!!" Rebecca cried, trying to free herself of Darkside's clutches. Being in his left hand, Rebecca was almost face to face with her beaten brother. She could not bear to see him like that, but what could she do? She was trapped and helpless.

"Rebecca!! Jason!!" Came a voice, drawing Rebecca's attention toward the ground. Her face brightened as Greg and Tami came into view. She wasn't sure whom the other girl was, but she was pretty sure that she was going to help.

"Greg! Tami! Help us!!" Rebecca cried out as best she could. She could feel Darkside's hand tightening around her, which was making it hard for her to breath.

"Don't worry, Rebecca! We're going to get you both out of this!" Greg shouted, trying to reassure the young girl.

"Greg, you have to do something, fast. He's going to kill Jason, if you don't!" Tami implied, pointing at Jason, who was still pinned against the wall.

"Right." Greg, without hesitation, rushed forward with his Amulet of Promise tightly in his hand. "Hold on!" Greg called out, as he leapt onto the side of the wall, and then pushed off to get up higher into the air. He raised his Keyblade over his head and then sliced through Darkside's left arm, freeing Jason and Rebecca.

"Yes!" Tami and Kairi cheered.

Before Greg could return to the ground, Darkside's hands regenerating and he slammed his right fist into Greg, sending the Keybearer soaring through the alleyway.

"Greg!" yelled Tami.

Rebecca crawled over to her brother, who was struggling to stand. "Jason, we have to help…"

Jason pierced his Buster Sword into the ground, trying to use it to help him stand. "Don't worry, he'll be fine…"

Greg picked himself up off of the ground and grunted. "Damn…what is that thing?" He asked, as he stared up at its yellow eyes. "A Heartless…?" Greg dashed forward, Keyblade still in hand. The Keybearer stopped just in time, as Darkside's fist came crashing into the ground.

Greg thought quickly and leapt onto its arm and began dashing up the side of it. He almost reached Darkside's head, but was shaken off. He managed to land on his feet, landing right before Jason and Rebecca.

"How do I take it down?" Greg asked, glancing back at the two.

"You can't…not yet, anyway." Jason murmured, finally managing to stand. "None of us can, we're not ready yet."

"I can take him, just le-"

"Greg, let's just go. We have Rebecca, we should head back to the First District." Tami implied, as she rushed over and picked up Rebecca. "Let's go!"

"Fine." Greg grunted, as he turned around and headed to Jason, his Keyblade disappearing in the process. He helped Jason to his feet and grabbed his Buster Sword. Then, the five headed for the back door to the hotel.

Greg looked back once again, staring into the eyes of the, now disappearing, creature of darkness.

"Greg, let's go." Jason murmured softly. By the sound of his voice, Greg could tell that Jason was exhausted. They had to get somewhere and rest.

"_Maybe that Cid guy we'll let us stay…_" Greg thought to himself.

* * *

"So, you guys need a place to stay?" Cid asked, folding his arms. "Well, I do have an extra room on the second floor, you could sleep there."

"Oh, thank you, Cid!" Kairi smiled sweetly.

"Eh, no problem. Just don't break anything up there." Cid grunted.

"Don't worry, we won't." Greg said, as he head to the second floor, with Tami, who was holding an unconscious Rebecca.

When they arrived on the second floor, Greg and Tami placed Jason and Rebecca on the bed to let them rest. Afterwards, Greg sat down on the floor.

"Wow, what a day!" He exclaimed, rubbing his head. "I'm beat!" He leaned back and lied on the floor.

"Kairi, you can have the other bed, I'll take the couch. I'm pretty sure Greg doesn't mind sleeping on the floor."

"Hey, wait-" Greg tried to protest, but the girls ignored him.

"Okay, thanks Tami." Kairi smiled again and climbed onto the second bed, while Tami took the couch.

"Well, goodnight you two." Kairi.

"Goodnight." Tami replied.

"Hey! I don't want to sleep on the floor!" Greg yelled. But again, the girls ignored him.

* * *

Please forgive me for rushing this chapter, or at least the end. I hoped you liked it though! Chapter 10 will be up within the next month, if things go as planned.


End file.
